Editor’s note: This story contains alleged accounts of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org.
Last week, ESPN reported the Cowboys had to pay a settlement of $2.4 million after four cheerleaders accused a senior executive in the organization of voyeurism.
In an interview with NBC 5 in Dallas-Fort Worth, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the team has taken the allegations very seriously and explained why they decided to settle.
“First of all, the cheerleaders are iconic. A vital part of what our organization is, the Dallas Cowboys. We took these allegations very seriously. We immediately began to look-see, an investigation into the situation,” Jones said. “I can assure you that had we found that it need be, there would have been firings or there would have been suspensions. As it turns out, in the best interest of our cheerleaders, and the best interest of the organization, in the best interest of our fans, what we decided to do was show the cheerleaders how seriously we took these allegations and we wanted them to know that we were real serious and so the settlement was the way to go.”
The allegation came after the cheerleaders accused former senior vice president for public relations and communications Richard Dalrymple of voyeurism while they were changing in the locker room in 2015. A fan also accused Dalrymple of taking “upskirt” photos of Charlotte Jones Anderson, a Cowboys senior vice president and daughter of Jerry Jones, at the team’s draft war room in 2015.
Dalrymple denied the allegations to ESPN in a statement.
“People who know me, co-workers, the media and colleagues, know who I am and what I'm about,” Dalrymple said. “I understand the very serious nature of these claims and do not take them lightly. The accusations are, however, false. One was accidental and the other simply did not happen. Everything that was alleged was thoroughly investigated years ago, and I cooperated fully.”
Dalrymple has since retired from the organization.
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