Wendy Haskell, an executive assistant to former NFL quarterback Warren Moon, filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him Monday. She claimed Moon forced her to wear thong underwear and sleep in his bed during business trips.
Haskell started working as Moon’s assistant at Sports 1 Marketing in July and went with him to charity events, speaking engagements and other appearances every week. The lawsuit states that Moon made the 32-year-old assistant stay in his hotel room during the business trips and wear thongs while she slept. He also allegedly required Haskell to send him photos through text message of her outfits before they made public appearances. The lawsuit additionally accuses Moon of grabbing Haskell’s crotch during a trip to Seattle and putting a drug in her drink during a trip to Mexico.
Haskell said that Moon became aggressive when she resisted his demands. He also told her that if she was not comfortable with his demands, he would find someone who was.
The 32-year-old said she got demoted after complaining to the sports marketing firm about Moon’s actions. Haskell claimed she made significantly less money in the position and deal with emotional stress and embarrassment at work.
Haskell’s attorney, Diana L. Fitzgerald, said that Haskell didn’t tell the police about Moon’s actions because she was scared. Fitzgerald added that Haskell wanted to build her career in the sports marketing industry and didn’t expect her job duties to include “that kind of perverse protocol.”
“What Ms. Haskell did not know at the time (of her hiring) but would unfortunately come to learn was that, despite his public persona, Moon had a dark and twisted side that commanded far more than just executive assistant services from his newly hired employee,” attorneys Fitzgerald and David C. Isaacson wrote in the lawsuit.
Daniel Fears, Moon’s attorney, said the retired football player hasn’t been served with the lawsuit, but knows about the claims.
“Mr. Moon denies the claims by Ms. Haskell. Mr. Moon contends these claims are meritless, and he has every intention to vigorously defend himself in court,” Fears added.
Moon played professional football for 23 seasons before retiring in 2000. He went on to become an announcer for the Seahawks. Since finding out about the sexual harassment allegations, Moon has requested a leave of absence as a broadcaster.
Moon is not the only NFL player accused of sexual harassment. Earlier this year, a Florida woman accused former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin of drugging and raping her in his hotel room. Irvin denied the allegations and said he was “flat out devastated” by the claims.
While Irvin didn’t receive criminal charges, he is currently being reviewed by the NFL under the personal conduct policy.
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