Former NFL Films human resource employee Victoria Russell has filed a lawsuit against the league accusing it of discrimination.

This came after she did a 2018 audit of the company’s human resources system.

Russell filed an employee discrimination lawsuit in New Jersey earlier this year, claiming she found “a chat room log tracking time stamps on NFL footage and linking the time stamps to sexualized and offensive descriptions of women captured on that footage.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that Russell says that NFL Films is in possession of footage featuring some lewd content, including the following: cheerleaders buttocks, cheerleaders rear end, female fan in bikini top, close up of cheerleader’s breasts; cleavage shot, shot of endowed woman, and random woman, cleavage shot.

The NFL has denied any wrongdoing via spokesman Brian McCarthy

“Those frames are logged as ‘sensitive’ so that they can be removed from circulation, meaning they will not be accessible to employees whose job it is to locate footage for productions,” McCarthy said. “Ms. Russell didn’t have credentials for the logging system, nor did any aspect of her responsibilities involve accessing footage.”

Russell, who worked for NFL Films between 2018 and 2022, alleges she was denied pay raises, advancement opportunities and a dedicated workspace unlike male employees.

The lawsuit notes that Russell was fired abruptly, while she was pregnant and without receiving any warnings over her performance, after complaining to the NFL’s chief diversity officer.

This is a bad look for the NFL. A definite black eye for the league. Especially with the ongoing investigation of Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder and his alleged toxic workplace, Brian Flores and other Black coaches suing over discriminatory hiring practices, everything that happened with Jon Gruden and the Carolina Panthers’ sale.

Photo courtsey of Sportskeeda

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