ESPN accused of ‘unlawful harassment’ and ‘retaliation’ of executive editor under investigation

In mid-February, Front Office Sports reported that ESPN executive editor Cristina Daglas had been on administrative leave in January.

An attorney representing Daglas recently sent a cease-and-desist letter to ESPN’s HR department about the ongoing investigation. The attorney also apparently accidentally sent the letter to Front Office Sports as well.

FOS reporter Ryan Glasspiegel reported Saturday that California employment lawyer Nikki Staggs sent a letter accusing ESPN of “unlawful harassment, retaliation, and investigation” of Daglas. Per the letter, ESPN HR had contacted the editor at least seven times during its ongoing investigation, which Staggs wrote is “wholly meritless and unsubstantiated” and said the entire situation is “harassment, plain and simple.”

The specifics behind the complaints against Daglas that led to the investigation remain unclear.

“Respondents have failed to provide a clear articulation of the allegations or claims that allegedly justify this leave… what my client has been subjected to is a series of protracted, hours-long interrogations under the guise of an ‘investigation’ that appears to be both endless and aimless,” reads the letter, per FOS. “The excessive nature of these meetings strongly suggests that Respondents are not conducting a legitimate inquiry, but rather grasping at straws in an attempt to manufacture misconduct where none exists. We remain steadfast in resolving this matter as expeditiously as possible. However, we expect that at this juncture, Respondents have already reached a decision after nearly two months of investigation and multiple discussions over the course of multiple hours with Claimant.”

Per Glasspiegel, the letter asks that ESPN cease “any further harassment of [Daglas] under the guise of an ‘ongoing investigation’; Any continued attempts to damage or smear her reputation internally or externally; Any disclosure, leak, or dissemination—direct or indirect—of confidential materials, images, or information pertaining to [Daglas]; Any form of retaliation against [Daglas] for asserting her rights, speaking out, or protecting herself in the workplace.”

An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment on the cease and desist letter to FOS.

According to Fox Corporation-owned Outkick.com’s Bobby Burack, senior editor Elizabeth Baugh has also been placed on administrative leave as part of the investigation. According to Burack, “sources say that Baugh had formed a friendship with Daglas, which ESPN considered an impediment to the ongoing investigation into Daglas’ conduct.”

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