Adrienne Lawrence will not be silenced by ESPN.
Lawrence, who filed a complaint with ESPN in August accusing the network of sexism and hostile treatment, fired back at the World Wide Leader after the network released text messages Thursday night between her and veteran SportsCenter anchor John Buccigross.
ESPN's response came after Lawrence's claims against the Disney-owned station were featured in an in-depth report from the Boston Globe.
"As for ESPN's recent behavior, its decisions to (i) single me out, (ii) ignore my key allegations, which ESPN knows are far broader than text messages and photos, and then (iii) release select, self-serving text messages, only further evidences the culture of this network and the lengths it will go and the unethical means it will employ to try and silence women," Lawrence, a lawyer who started working at ESPN in 2015 on a racial diversity fellowship, wrote in a statement released Friday morning.
ESPN's John Buccigross says he considered Adrienne Lawrence to be a friend in response to her allegations of sexism and hostile treatment at the World Wide Leader.
(Allen Kee / ESPN Images)Lawrence accused Buccigross of sending unsolicited shirtless photographs of himself. She also said Buccigross called her "dollface," "#dreamgirl," and "#longlegs" in messages dating from 2016.
"ESPN has failed to address its deeply ingrained culture of sexism and hostile treatment of women," Lawrence told the Globe. The Globe reviewed the texts for its explosive piece.
Lawrence also told the Globe that she complained to human resources when rumors spread around the company that the two were in a relationship. She said a supervisor told her to drop the matter.
ESPN retaliated by limiting her airtime and passing her over for a full-time job, Lawrence asserts.
In her complaint, Lawrence said spreading false rumors about sexual relationships with female employees was one way that men created a toxic work environment at the company's Bristol, Conn., headquarters.
Buccigross provided a statement to the Globe.
"I considered Adrienne to be a friend. I'm sorry if anything I did or said offended Adrienne. It certainly wasn't my intent."
ESPN said in a statement Thursday that Lawrence's claims were found "to be entirely without merit" after "we conducted a thorough investigation."
"Lawrence was hired into a two-year talent development program and was told that her contract would not be renewed at the conclusion of the training program," ESPN spokeswomen Katina Arnold wrote. "At that same time, ESPN also told 100 other talent with substantially more experience, that their contracts would not be renewed."
To further defend its position, ESPN released screengrabs of text messages between Lawrence and Buccigross dating between June 4, 2016 and Sept. 7, 2016. The network said the texts illustrate the two "had a consensual, personal friendship that spanned months."
Lawrence, who first filed her complaint with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, requested the state agency release her complaint so that she could sue ESPN in federal court.
"The company will vigorously defend its position and we are confident we will prevail in court," Arnold wrote.
ESPN also released a press release calling 2017 a "monumental year for women at ESPN."
"We work hard to maintain a respectful and inclusive culture at ESPN," Arnold added. "It is always a work in progress, but we're proud of the significant progress we've made in developing and placing women in key roles at the company in the board room, in leadership positions throughout ESPN and on air."
Lawrence began her statement Friday by thanking those who sent their support after the publication of her allegations in the Globe.
"I am grateful to the Boston Globe for sharing some of our experiences at ESPN in hopes of making change, letting others know they're not alone, and helping create an atmosphere in which women in sports too may come forward without rebuke or retaliation."
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