Cowboys Claim 'Solid Culture' Despite Cheerleaders Voyeurism Scandal
The Dallas Cowboys paid a confidential settlement of $2.4 million to four members of their cheerleading squad after they accused team executive Rich Dalrymple of voyeurism, according to documents obtained by ESPN.
Team owner Jerry Jones has addressed the controversy, and now COO Stephen Jones has done the same, speaking Monday from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and defending the front office as having a "solid culture.''
Cheerleaders
Cheerleaders and Jerry Jones
Charlotte Jones-Anderson and Jerry Jones
"I feel like we have a solid culture,'' Stephen Jones said. "You can always be better. You strive to get better every day in every area. So that'd be my comment."
Stephen's words followed up those of his father, who tried to explain the settlement.
"First of all, the cheerleaders are iconic,'' Jones told NBC5 on Friday. "A vital part of what our organization is ... We took these allegations very seriously. We immediately began ... an investigation into the situation. 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 just-retired Dalrymple issued a statement to refute the allegations.
"People who know me, co-workers, the media and colleagues, know who I am and what I'm about," Dalrymple said in the statement. "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."
Each of the women received $399,523.27 after the 2015 incident that allegedly occurred at AT&T Stadium, with one cheerleader accusing Dalrymple, the Cowboys' longtime senior vice president for public relations and communications, filming them while they were dressing.
Dalrymple also was accused of taking "upskirt" photos of Charlotte Jones Anderson, a team senior vice president and the daughter of team owner Jerry Jones, in the Cowboys' war room during the 2015 NFL Draft, according to documents obtained by ESPN. A fan claims he was watching a livestream of the war room on the team's website when he said he saw the alleged incident.
A Cowboys representative told ESPN the team thoroughly investigated both allegations and found no wrongdoing by Dalrymple.
Rich Dalrymple, Jerry Jones
Cheerleaders
Cheerleaders and Jerry Jones
"The organization took these allegations extremely seriously and moved immediately to thoroughly investigate this matter," said Jim Wilkinson, a communications consultant for the team. "The investigation was handled consistent with best legal and HR practices and the investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing."
One former cheerleader told ESPN, "It hurt my heart because I know how much it affected the people who were involved. It was a very ... 'Shut the book, don't talk about it, this person is going to stay in his position' ... They just made it go away."
In his statement, Dalrymple said the allegations "had nothing to do with my retirement from a long and fulfilling career, and I was only contacted about this story after I had retired."
