A former ESPN employee has claimed that ‘the other side is JUST as bad’ after the network canceled a Barstool Sports show amid controversy over the company’s alleged treatment of women.
Jenn Sterger, who once worked as a Jets sideline reporter and allegedly received X-rated photos and messages from then-quarterback Brett Favre in 2008, has detailed her experiences with ESPN in a long message on Twitter.
The once-Playboy model claimed that she was brought to a strip club by higher-ups and given a tour of ESPN’s Connecticut headquarters to show others she was ‘just as f***able in person’ in the tweet accusing the network of inappropriate conduct.
Sterger, now 33, also claimed that women who have spoken out against Barstool Sports didn’t have her back when she accused Favre of sending her lewd messages.
Jenn Sterger, who once worked as a Jets sideline reporter and allegedly received X-rated photos and messages from then-quarterback Brett Favre in 2008, has detailed her experiences with ESPN in a long message on Twitter
The once-Playboy model claimed that she was brought to a strip club by higher-ups and given a tour of ESPN’s Connecticut headquarters to show others she was ‘just as f******* in person’ in the tweet accusing the network of inappropriate conduct
Sterger, now 33, also claimed that women who have spoken out against Barstool Sports didn’t have her back when she accused Favre of sending her lewd messages
She started her message by saying: ‘Since we are being honest, I will say this: I HATE how Barstool Sports treats women. But the other side is JUST as bad.’
The writer, who no longer works for ESPN, said that when she was 23, she traveled to Charlotte for multiple meetings as she looked for on-air work.
After testing for the show, an employee invited her to a club with other coworkers – but she didn’t realize until she arrived that they had brought her to a strip club.
‘I was extremely uncomfortable by the situation and incredibly awkward as I had never stepped foot in one before.,’ she said. ‘I had to watch as my male coworkers got lap-dances from girls while they teased me about how I was uncomfortable and didn’t want to participate.’
The next day, two bosses asked her if she had gone to the club.
‘I told them I had been, but didn’t want to be there once I realized what it was,’ she wrote. ‘They admonished me and said it was a bad look for me to be there and to never do it again. I was fired before my plane landed in Tampa.’
Sterger recalled another experience in 2008 when the same unnamed employee ‘who had by now risen in the ranks’ invited her to the network headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut for a job interview.
She was given a tour of the office before sitting down for an interview, which she says took an inappropriate turn.
The writer, who no longer works for ESPN, said that when she was 23, she traveled to Charlotte for multiple meetings as she looked for on-air work. After testing for the show, an employee invited her to a club with other coworkers – but she didn’t realize until she arrived that they had brought her to a strip club
‘Asking me if I had hooked up with “so and so” etc. or “this person” or “that person”… this was my “job interview”,’ she wrote. ‘I wasn’t asked a single question about goals or what I was looking for career wise.’
Sterger said that the company had canceled her return car trip to New Jersey, and instead was told to join the employee – the same one who was mentioned before – who was heading to the same area.
‘He brought up numerous girls he said he was hooking up with that worked there at the time.
And implied that he was helping their careers,’ she wrote, adding that he had told her she was ‘way prettier’.
He then asked her to dinner, but Sterger declined, adding that she was in a relationship with someone he knew.
‘He still works there. He’s still gainfully employed. He’s a decision maker there,’ Sterger wrote. I later found out through a friend that works there that they only brought me in to show his coworkers I was “just as f***able” in person as I was in pictures’.
She added that he also insinuated that they had been intimate, ‘which NEVER happened’.
ESPN released a statement on Tuesday saying that it was unaware of Sterger’s experiences with employees at the network.
In 2010, Sterger was in the middle of an investigation after it was alleged that Favre, a then Jets quarterback, had sent her sexts and lewd photos. The now-48-year-old married NFL legend admitted leaving voicemails for Miss Sterger, but denied sending lewd selfies, and was fined $50,000 by the NFL for a ‘failure to cooperate’ with the investigation
The statement said: ‘We have no record of this ever being brought to our attention. We thoroughly investigate all allegations brought to us. Fostering a professional and respectful workplace is a top priority for ESPN and we always encourage people to report any issues.’
Sterger ended her message by saying there were a lot of women in sports media who didn’t support her during her Favre controversy several years ago.
One of those women could be ESPN host Sam Ponder, who called out the controversial history of Barstool Sports, citing a blog post about her that made sexist remarks and attacked her religious beliefs in 2014.
Ponder took to Twitter on the eve of ESPN2’s premier of late night sports show ‘Barstool Van Talk’ where she blasted the show’s co-host Dan ‘Big Cat’ Katz and first accused him of authoring the post.
Barstool Van Talk was pulled off of ESPN after just one episode.
Sterger wrote in her statement: ‘Some of the women that have spoken out against Barstool there are now some of the biggest and loudest champions of this movement of honesty and Women standing up for ourselves.
‘But need I remind some of them, that when the time came to defend me a few years ago, they were the first to say ‘I asked for it’, ‘look how she dresses’, and ‘she probably just wants money’.
‘Support other women all the time. Not just when it fits your f****** agenda.
Sterger (left) ended her message by saying there were a lot of women in sports media who didn’t support her during her Favre controversy several years ago. One of those women could be ESPN host Sam Ponder (right), who called out the controversial history of Barstool Sports, citing a blog post about her that made sexist remarks and attacked her religious beliefs in 2014
‘It was just as easy to support me back then as it is to back these victims today. You didn’t do it because it didn’t fit the narrative they wanted and your own personal goals at the time.’
In 2010, Sterger was in the middle of an investigation after it was alleged that Favre, a then Jets quarterback, had sent her sexts and lewd photos.
The now-48-year-old married NFL legend admitted leaving voicemails for Miss Sterger, but denied sending lewd selfies, and was fined $50,000 by the NFL for a ‘failure to cooperate’ with the investigation.
The alleged messages were to have been send in 2008 when both Miss Sterger and Mr Favre were employed by the New York Jets.
However, it was not until October 2010 that the ‘sexts’ emerged when website Deadspin posted a video that included text messages and voicemails allegedly left by the quarterback for Miss Sterger, including one in which he invites her to his hotel.
The video ended with several below-the belt photos – said to be of Favre – which were allegedly sent to Miss Sterger.
On Tuesday, two Barstool writers responded to Sterger’s twitter in defense of their company saying the experiences at ESPN and Barstool were not equal.
‘I’m sorry to hear about what you’ve been through, but nobody has ever had an experience like that with us, so ‘just as bad’ isn’t fitting,’ tweeted Barstool’s Robbie Fox.
After a brief exchange, Sterger wrote: ‘Did not accuse BS of harassment. Im addressing the hypocrisy of ESPN ending their relationship w/ @barstoolsports based on who ESPN employs.’