Jenn Sterger is seeking action from the NFL. Suspend Brett Favre, or she sues the league, the New York Jets and Favre himself.
She might be justified for this one folks.
Sure, Sterger has made a name for herself by posing in barely-there clothing and jumping around on the sidelines at football games. She may have posed in Maxim and Playboy, and has been plastered all over the internet in nothing more than dental floss, but if the lewd photos of Brett Favre were unsolicited like she says they are, then the NFL has grounds to suspend Favre, and they should.
Granted, the NFL does not have an sexual-harassment policy. They have the personal-conduct policy — the same doctrine that established grounds to suspend Ben Roethlisberger. Ruling under the personal conduct policy states that a suspension is determined on whether or not the player damaged the reputation and integrity of the NFL.
Favre's controversy definitely cast a negative light on the reputation-sensitive NFL, and even more so on himself. He admitted to the league that he left several voicemail messages on Sterger's phone, but denied the photographs. In a standard corporation, those voicemails alone would be grounds for suspension or termination.
These days, sexual-harassment training comes with any job. It's one of the first training sessions you undergo as a new employee. One of Sterger's demands of the NFL is to implement a no-tolerance program for sexual harassment in the league — and it's about time they were brought up to speed.
The one hang-up in Sterger's case is the fact that she did not report the photos and voicemails when they started in 2008, while she was an employee of the New York Jets. The fact that she is now, two years later, listing demands is a bit suspicious.
She could just be out for the cash and the media headlines, but all in all, her demands make sense. And if indeed the photos are of Favre, then Goodell needs to act and suspend him accordingly.
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