Janel Grant’s spokesperson responded in a press launch, to experiences on Wednesday from the New York Instances and The Athletic revealing that Lee Becoming, who’s presently employed by WWE as its head of media and manufacturing, was fired by ESPN after he had been accused of years of misconduct behind the scenes on the sports activities community.
Grant, a former worker of WWE filed a lawsuit towards WWE, Vince McMahon and now former Government John Laurinaitis with allegations of harassment, sexual trafficking, sexual abuse and sexual assault.
Beneath is a replica of the press launch containing the response.
Janel Grant’s Spokesperson Responds to New Allegations of Prime WWE Producer’s Abusive Office Historical past
WWE continues to domesticate an unsafe work atmosphere by using alleged predators and silencing survivors of harassment and office misconduct
NEW YORK – Right now, Kendra Barkoff-Lamy, the spokesperson for Janel Grant, launched the next assertion on The Athletic’s new reporting of many years of sexual misconduct and office harassment by Lee Becoming, former ESPN Senior Vice President of Manufacturing and present WWE Head of Media & Manufacturing.
“How can WWE declare they’re dedicated to enhancing the corporate’s tradition, and on the identical time, rent a person earlier this 12 months who was accused of sexual misconduct and office harassment in his earlier function? The allegations towards Lee Becoming throughout his time at ESPN are extraordinarily regarding. Revelations like this are why Janel Grant’s attorneys despatched a letter to WWE and Endeavor, urging them to launch all present and former workers from their NDAs. The identical outdated boys membership who enabled Janel Grant’s abuse are persevering with to place alleged predators in management roles, and this sample should change as soon as and for all.”
In October, attorneys for Ms. Grant despatched a letter to WWE President Nick Khan, WWE Chief Content material Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and Endeavor (WWE’s mother or father firm) CEO Ari Emanuel calling on WWE management to waive the corporate’s non-disclosure agreements and permit former and present workers, wrestlers and contractors to talk out about sexual misconduct, sexual assault, harassment, office aggression and the poisonous tradition at WWE. Up to now, there was no response from WWE or Endeavor to the letter. The complete letter is accessible HERE and beneath:
October 7, 2024
Re: Name for WWE to Launch Former and Present Workers and Contractors from Non-Disclosure Agreements
Pricey Mr. Toal, Ms. Rosenberg, and Mr. Brennan:
World Wrestling Leisure, LLC (“WWE”) has mentioned that it “takes Ms. Grant’s allegations very significantly and as no tolerance for any bodily abuse or undesirable bodily contact.” In different phrases, WWE would love the world to imagine that it has reformed its office tradition. But when WWE is actually dedicated to vary, it should enable survivors to talk their reality with out concern of reprisal. We name upon WWE to publicly waive enforcement of its non-disclosure agreements (“NDAs”) to permit its former and present workers and contractors (together with wrestlers contracted to carry out beneath the WWE model) to talk out about sexual misconduct, sexual assault, harassment, and office aggression or disputes regarding the poisonous tradition at WWE. This consists of releasing ladies who signed NDAs associated to sexual misconduct by former CEO Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and different WWE management and workers as situations of settlement.
The poisonous and sexualized tradition at WWE throughout Mr. McMahon’s tenure as CEO and Chairman was open and infamous. But what has been publicly reported is simply a part of the image. We now have had witnesses come to us confidentially and describe a sexualized tradition at WWE that victimizes ladies and men. We now have obtained experiences that many victims are presently afraid to come back ahead due to punitive non-disclosure and nondisparagement agreements. For instance, as The Wall Road Journal reported on July 8, 2022, Mr. McMahon paid over $12 million to a minimum of 4 ladies to safe their silence about his sexual misconduct. Our shopper is only one of an untold many. We due to this fact additionally ask Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis to affirm that survivors and WWE workers who witnessed abuse could talk about their experiences with out concern of retribution and retaliation.
WWE can’t transfer on from its sordid previous whereas its victims stay silenced. Survivors deserve a possibility to share their experiences on their phrases. Pressured silence solely deepens the injuries of sexual abuse. Survivors are revictimized each time they’re muzzled and compelled to dwell in concern of assault from a multi-billion-dollar enterprise that may rent a military of attorneys to bury them in authorized charges in the event that they converse the reality. Even unenforceable NDAs, just like the one our shopper was coerced to signal, have a chilling impact as a result of people wouldn’t have the desire or assets to struggle them. WWE should make clear that any NDAs that it has entered are usually not supposed to forestall disclosure of sexual misconduct, abuse, or assault, and disclaim and waive any claims it could have beneath these NDAs if present or former workers and contractors select to talk out.
We urge WWE to shortly and proactively launch its present and former workers and contractors from any obligations beneath any WWE-executed NDA that may stop them from discussing sexual misconduct, abuse, or assault throughout their time at WWE at once. WWE desires folks to imagine the corporate has modified—that is its probability to show it.
Regards,
Ann E. Callis
Copy to:
Nick Khan, WWE
Paul Levesque, WWE
Ari Emanuel, Endeavor
Vince McMahon
John Laurinaitis
Jerry S. McDevitt, Ok&L Gates LLP
…
Supply: PWInsider
