According to a report from Deadspin, NFL VP of Media David Eaton has resigned from his position.
This comes after multiple stories and allegations of sexual harassment at NFL Network, including a lawsuit that saw multiple ex-players (including Heath Evans, Ike Taylor, Donovan McNabb, and Marshall Faulk) named in the complaint, with some of those players-turned-analysts suspended pending an investigation.
Via Deadspin:
David Eaton, the vice president and executive editor for NFL Media, has resigned his position.
“Last night David Eaton tendered his resignation from NFL Media effective immediately,” NFL Network spokesman Alex Riethmiller said in a statement to Deadspin.
Eaton’s resignation comes after Deadspin pointed out his history of interacting with porn stars and escorts on Twitter. This is certainly a big negative for the NFL, especially as it comes at the same time as the investigation into Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson’s own history of workplace harassment and misconduct. (Richardson is also an ex-player, for what it’s worth.)
Eaton had been with the NFL since 2011; prior to that, he’d served as a bureau chief for ABC News. In his role at NFL Media, Eaton oversaw news operations for NFL Network and NFL.com.
Whoever steps in for Eaton has a big public relations task ahead of them, and considering how pervasive the toxicity seems to have been, there might be a dearth of internal candidates for the role; it’s tough to imagine ways it could get worse for NFL Network, but naming a successor only to see that person’s name surface in a further investigation would be one of them.
[Deadspin]
