#Ron Rivera vows to change Washington franchise’s toxic work culture

Coach Ron Rivera made a strong statement Thursday, saying sexual harassment and a toxic work culture will have no place in the Washington organization during his tenure.

Rivera’s remarks came on the heels of an explosive Washington Post report in which 15 former Redskins female employees accused the NFL organization of sexual harassment and fostering a toxic culture of verbal abuse and ignoring complaints.

“Biggest thing is we have to move on from this and make sure everybody understands we have policies that we will follow and that we have an open-door policy with no retribution,” Rivera told reporters on Thursday. “Plus my daughter [Courtney] works for the team, and I sure as hell am not going to allow any of this!”

According to the Post report, the women say the were subject to unwelcome sexual advances and inappropriate comments about their bodies, adding that they were encouraged to dress provocatively and flirt with sale clients. Of the five male employees primarily accused of misconduct, two were fired and one retired within the past week as the newspaper presented findings from conducting more than 40 interviews and reviewing internal documents and text messages to the team for reaction.

The veteran coach, who also has been working with Snyder on changing the Redskins nickname, said taking the toxicity out of the workplace is part of his effort to bring positive change throughout the organization.

“[Owner] Dan Snyder brought me here to change culture and create an environment of inclusion among employees. I believe that everyone that works for this franchise has a vested interest in our success.”

As for the embattled Snyder, he is not accused of sexual harassment, but top executives in his organization are, according to the report. He also was blamed belittling employees, and understaffing their human resource department, which created a fear of speaking out throughout the organization.

Snyder, who in the past was steadfast in not changing the Redskins name, has now changed his tune. On Monday, the team announced the retirement of their team name and logo, ending usage of a derogatory slur for Native Americans. The replacement name fore the team has not been revealed yet.