This morning, the Seattle Times published “Three Mariners execs faced workplace complaints; three women received settlements.”
Sexual harassment and the objectification of women is unacceptable.
The #MeToo movement has raised the visibility of sexual harassment and sexual violence and changed this country’s conversation about how women are treated in all areas of their lives. This is a positive change, and the Seattle Mariners are no exception to this conversation.
We’ve partnered with the Mariners for over 20 years on Refuse To Abuse® and are proud of that partnership and the hard work from both organizations it has entailed. We hold them—and all workplaces, organizations, and institutions—to high standards. We know that sexual harassment, sexual violence, and domestic violence are incredibly prevalent. We know that workplaces across our community will regularly be called on to address behaviors that are unacceptable. What we look for from the Mariners as our partner is continued progress and an ongoing, rigorous, public commitment to address these issues, as all sports organizations should.
We appreciate that both John Stanton and Kevin Mather have responded publicly. Part of what will change culture is not just the truth telling by women, but the efforts by men, organizations, and institutions to acknowledge harm they have caused and then to do better.