An ESPN investigation revealed the club shelled out $2.4 million as part of a confidential settlement following allegations of misconduct against a senior club executive in 2015.
THE DALLAS COWBOYS paid a confidential settlement of $2.4 millionafter what four members of his iconic cheerleading squad accuse a senior team executive of voyeurism in his locker room while undressing during a 2015 event at the AT&T Stadiumaccording to documents obtained by ESPN and people with knowledge of the situation.
Each of the women received $399,523.27 after the incident. One of the cheerleaders claimed that she clearly saw Richard Dalrymplethe experienced senior vice president of public relations and communications for the Cowboysstanding behind a partial wall with his iPhone extended toward them as they changed clothes, according to multiple people with knowledge of the events and letters sent by attorneys for the cheerleaders to the team. Dalrymple gained access to the locked cheerleading locker room using a security key.
Dalrymple was also accused by a staunch fan of the Cowboys to take pictures under the skirt of Charlotte Jones Andersona senior vice president of the team and daughter of the owner Jerry Jonesin the meeting room of the Cowboys during the 2015 draft of the NFLaccording to documents obtained by ESPN and interviews. The fan signed an affidavit that he was watching a live broadcast from the meeting room on the club’s official website when he saw the alleged incident.
Dalrymplewho did not respond to interview requests from ESPN, told team officials he entered the cheerleaders’ locker room without knowing they were there, and left immediately, a team source said. His version was contradicted by the way multiple sources described the incident to ESPN. Monday night Dalrymple issued a statement calling both accusations false.
“The people who know me, co-workers, the media and colleagues, they know who I am and how I am,” he said. Dalrymple in your statement. “I understand the very serious nature of these allegations and do not take them lightly. The allegations are nonetheless false. One was accidental and the other simply did not occur. Everything that is alleged was thoroughly investigated years ago, and I cooperated. completely”.
A representative of the Cowboys He said the team thoroughly investigated both incidents, and found no inappropriate conduct on the part of Dalrymplenor evidence that he took photographs or video of the women, The team does not dispute that Dalrymple she used her security key to enter the cheerleaders’ locker room while the women changed clothes.
“The organization took these allegations very seriously, and moved immediately to fully investigate this matter,” he said. Jim Wilkinson, a communications consultant for the team. “The investigation was handled consistently and with the best human resources and legal practices, and the investigation found no evidence of misconduct.”
However, the team issued Dalrymple a formal written warning in October 2015, a person familiar with the matter told ESPN. A team source declined to provide a copy of the warning or describe its content, citing privacy concerns. The team also declined to detail information, including time-stamped data from security cameras and security keys, that could show precisely when he entered and exited. Dalrymple from the dressing room
“If any inappropriate conduct had been found, Rich would have been terminated immediately,” he said. Wilkinson. “Everyone involved feels terrible about this unfortunate incident.”
Dalrymple continued working for Cowboys, in his same role, for almost six years after the agreement. On February 2, he told The Dallas Morning News of his immediate retirement after 32 years as the chief spokesman for Jerry Jones, and confident. While Dalrymple thanked the team and family Jones, no one from the team recognized his years of service, and his retirement was not mentioned on the club’s website. His withdrawal came just a few weeks after ESPN began interviewing people about the alleged incidents and just days after ESPN Contact the attorneys involved in the settlement. In his statement, Dalrymple He said the allegations “have nothing to do with my retirement from a long and rewarding career, and I was only contacted for this story after my retirement.”
A signed copy of the May 2016 agreement obtained by ESPN includes a non-disclosure clause in which the four women, three of their husbands and officers of the CowboysThey vowed never to speak publicly about the allegations.
ESPN knows the identity of the four cheerleaders, but typically does not reveal the names of people who report allegations of sexual misconduct. The women either declined to comment for this story, or did not respond to requests.
A former cheerleader familiar with the locker room incident said it was known among the rest of the cheerleaders.
“My heart aches because I know how much it affected the people involved,” the former cheerleader said. “It was very, very… shut it down, don’t talk about this, this person will stay in this position… They made him disappear.”
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