4 fans alleged that former Senior Vice President Rich Dalrymple filmed them undressing in the locker room in September 2015. Dalrymple denies the WFAA allegations.
Frisco, Texas – According to Wednesday report from ESPNThe Dallas Cowboys paid a multi-million dollar settlement to four Cowboys fans who accused First Team Vice President Public Relations and Communications Rich Dalrymple of taking pictures of them in the locker room in 2015.
The settlement reported by ESPN stemmed from accusations made in September 2015 during a Cowboys season kickoff luncheon, when four fans claimed that Dalrymple used his security key card to enter the unprotected back door of their locker room for the alleged recording on his phone. Cellular women’s undress.
According to ESPN, one fan claimed she saw a phone coming out from behind a wall, pointing in their direction — and when she went to confront the person, she recognized him as the longtime Cowboys CEO.
Sources told ESPN that Dalrymple claimed he went to the fans’ locker room to use the bathroom, and that he said he didn’t know the cheerleaders were there at the time.
Lawyers for the cheerleaders sent a letter to Cowboys’ attorneys later that month stating plans to provide evidence of Dalrymple’s misconduct, ESPN reported. In the letter obtained by ESPN, lawyers also questioned why Dalrymple entered the fans’ locker room when “the men’s restroom was 20 feet away.”
In a statement to the WFAA, Dalrymple vehemently denied the allegations: “People who know me, my co-workers, the media, and colleagues know who I am and what I do,” he said.
According to ESPN, the Cowboys investigated Dalrymple four months ago after a lifelong Cowboy fan also accused him of taking “upskirt” photos of the first-team vice president and Jerry Jones’ daughter Charlotte Jones Anderson during the 2015 NFL Draft. Watch the fan, who reported ESPN later gave an affidavit, livestreaming the Cowboys War Room when he allegedly saw Dalrymple taking multiple photos of Jones Anderson.
Randy Horton, a teacher in Shreveport, Louisiana, posted his note on the Facebook pages of Johns Anderson and his local TV station KSLA.
Cowboys spokesman Jim Wilkinson issued a statement to WFAA: “The organization took these allegations seriously and immediately moved to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.” The investigation was handled in accordance with best legal and human resource practices and the investigation found no evidence of any wrongdoing. If any wrongdoing was found, Rich would have been terminated immediately.”
In 2016, the Cowboys reached a $2.4 million settlement with the cheerleaders, each receiving nearly $400,000 after attorneys’ fees.
“The cheerleaders are a vital part of the Dallas Cowboys family, and with respect to their settlement, the organization wanted to go above and beyond to make sure fans knew their allegations were taken seriously, and investigated promptly and thoroughly,” Wilkinson continued, the statement submitted to the WFAA. “Everyone was appalled by this unfortunate incident.”
According to ESPN, the settlement remained secret until a former Cowboys executive informed ESPN five months ago about the allegations against Dalrymple.
“Basic basic logic tells you that if Jerry Jones believes in any way that someone has done something like this remotely to any member of his family, that person will be fired immediately,” Wilkinson said in his statement to WFAA.
Dalrymple retired from his position in early February, shortly after ESPN said it had begun contacting the team about a settlement.
Despite working for 32 years alongside Jerry Jones, the Cowboys have yet to announce his retirement.
“I understand the extremely serious nature of these allegations and do not take them lightly,” Dalrymple said in his statement to WFAA. “The accusations, however, are false. One was accidental and the other simply did not happen. Everything that was alleged was thoroughly investigated years ago, and I cooperated fully.”
Dallas attorney Michelle Simpson Teogle told WFAA that the report raises more questions without answers.
Simpson Tuegel made national headlines by working with athletes who had been sexually assaulted and harassed. One of her most notable work was representing gymnasts who were abused by Larry Nassar while competing with Team USA.
“Honestly, when I saw this, I wasn’t surprised,” Simpson Tegel said. “That’s the classic way,” she said – but it’s actually “he said” versus four “she said.”
Simpson Tuegel says it is alarming that the report indicated that the women had not been questioned by the team for eight days. I also thought the team could have done more when, according to the report, Dalrymple told the Cowboys that he only had a group phone and not in person.
“He said he doesn’t have any other phones, and it looks like they just took his word for it? Why?” Simpson asked Twiggle.
Simpson Tuegel finds many aspects of the report dubious.
“Judging from experience with these cases, when you don’t hear any evidence of wrongdoing and then there is a settlement… $2.4 million does not indicate a lack of evidence.”
