Olympic stories are supposed to be about athletes who overcome
incredible odds to succeed. Unfortunately, the first big story from
the upcoming London Olympic Games involves more dirt and scandal
than Cinderella's story of hopes and dreams.
Kelley Hardwick, a security director with the National Basketball
Association ("NBA"), filed suit last week in New York
state court alleging that U.S. Women's Olympic basketball team
coach and head coach for the University of Connecticut's
women's team, Luigi "Geno" Auriemma, "stalked,
assaulted and battered (her) by following her to her room, grabbing
her about the arm and attempting to forcibly kiss her on the
mouth" in 2009 while abroad in Russia. Of note to employers,
however, are Hardwick's allegations against the NBA.
Hardwick sued the NBA (her employer), as well as its umbrella
organization that oversees the men's and women's basketball
teams, USA Basketball Inc. She claims that the NBA was both
directly involved in Auriemma's conduct towards her and also
discriminated against her through a "corporate culture of
gender discrimination." Her lawsuit alleges that the NBA
failed to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident with
Auriemma and further allowed him to influence a recent decision
that she be removed from international travel security detail for
essentially rejecting his advances. Her removal was indicative of
the culture of gender discrimination because her male counterparts
who get to travel do not have her level of experience in
international competition. Additionally, Hardwick avers that the
NBA denied promotions, raises, and employment opportunities because
she is a woman.
As in most cases of "he said, she said," Hardwick's
lawsuit is not a slam dunk. The outcome will not likely be known
until the Olympic torch has been extinguished. In the meantime, the
women's team will have the additional distraction of the
allegations and the accompanying media scrutiny. Let's hope
they can rebound like champs to bring home the gold for the red,
white, and blue.
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