ESPN: Cowboys Hid Sexual Misconduct Allegations With $2.4M Settlement

According to a bombshell report from ESPN, the Dallas Cowboys paid four former cheerleaders a total of $2.4 million ($399,523.27 each) to settle allegations that a senior team employee who worked for owner Jerry Jones for more than three decades recorded them with his iPhone while they undressed in the locker room in 2015.

Though not part of the 2016 settlement, which included a non-disclosure agreement, former Dallas senior vice president for public relations and communications Richard Dalrymple allegedly took “upskirt” photos of Charlotte Jones Anderson in the Cowboys’ war room during the 2015 NFL draft. A fan signed an affidavit stating he saw Dalrymple taking the photos of Anderson, a team senior vice president and the daughter of Jones, while watching a live stream of the event.

“I’ll never forget what I saw,” lifelong Cowboys fan Randy Horton told ESPN. “The first time he reached out from a sitting position behind her, and she is standing with her back to him, and did it once … He looked at the screen, touched the screen and then did it again. The second time, he’s sitting in a chair at the corner of the table on the left and he held his phone beneath the corner of the table with the camera side facing up where she was standing. And did it again. I have no doubt in my mind of what it was he was doing. It was obvious.”

Dalrymple received a formal written warning in October 2015 following the allegations and had his access to the cheerleaders’ locker room revoked, but continued to work for Jones until he abruptly retired earlier this month after 32 years of service.

“It’s something I’ve been considering,” Dalrymple, 61, told The Dallas Morning News. “I talked to Jerry about it during the season, and it seemed the timing was better once the season had ended. I’ve been at it for 40 years, and I’m ready to move on and step away. This is the time. I’m extremely grateful for all of the relationships I’ve formed with players, coaches, fans and especially the Jones family.”

If ESPN’s report is correct, Dalrymple has 2.4 million reasons to be grateful to Jones. But Jones has no reason to be grateful to him, which is likely why no one in Dallas acknowledged his years of service on behalf of the team and his retirement was not mentioned on the Cowboys’ website.

In a statement, Dalrymple denied the allegations.

“People who know me, co-workers, the media and colleagues, know who I am and what I’m about,” Dalrymple said in the statement. “I understand the very serious nature of these claims and do not take them lightly. The accusations are, however, false. One was accidental and the other simply did not happen. Everything that was alleged was thoroughly investigated years ago, and I cooperated fully.”

Since Dalrymple no longer works for the team, the NFL likely can’t do anything to discipline him if the league investigates the matter. However, if internal wrongdoing is found within the Cowboys’ organization, it’s certainly possible that the team could face sanctions.