Lisa Olson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lisa Olson (born circa 1965) is an American sportswriter who most recently wrote for the New York Daily News. In 1990, while working at the Boston Herald, she was sexually harassed by New England Patriots football players in the team's locker room. Olson sued the National Football League, and the players involved were punished; the incident "is considered a watershed moment for women in sports journalism."^[1]

Olson graduated with a B.S. in journalism from Northern Arizona University in 1985.^[2]

[edit] Sexual harassment incident

At the time, women sports journalists faced frequent discrimination, harassment, and intimidation. Women did not get equal access to post-game locker room interviews until a federal court decision in 1978.^[1] In 1985, the NFL enacted an equal access policy of its own.^[3]

While interviewing players in the Patriots locker-room on a practice day, some of the men labeled Olson what they called a "looker."^[4] General Manager Pat Sullivan observed Olson and determined that she was acting professionally, interviewing Maurice Hurst, but took no other action.^[4] Several of the players subsequently taunted her by walking naked in her presence, making vulgar comments and gestures.^[1] One player, Zeke Mowatt, "fondled his genitals" in front of her.^[1] Robert Perryman did the same while her back was turned. Others, including Michael Timpson, made jokes and egged each other on.^[4]

After Olson complained, describing the experience as a "mind rape"^[1], team owner Victor Kiam allegedly described her as a "classic bitch." (He later apologized in a newspaper ad, while denying using crude language.)^[3] Eventually, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue ordered an investigation under the aegis of former Watergate scandal prosecutor Philip Heymann;^[3] the 60-page report concluded that Olson was "degraded and humiliated." Mowatt was fined $12,500, the other two players $5,000, and the team itself $50,000, since no management had intervened at the time or immediately following. Half the cost of the team's fine was to defray instructional materials the league could send to all teams and players, and Tagliabue wrote a letter to Kiam expressing his belief that the incident had "damaged" the league.^[4] Sullivan, a son of the previous team owner, was fired.^[5]

After the incident became public, Olson was subjected to harassment from fans of the Patriots. Her tires were slashed, she received hate mail and death threats, and her apartment was burglarized.^[1] The Herald's then owner, News Corporation, offered to transfer her to Sydney, Australia, where she worked for The Daily Telegraph and the Sydney Morning Herald.^[1] In 1991, Olson settled a lawsuit against the Patriots.

[edit] Return to the US

In 1998, Olson returned to the U.S. to take her current position with the New York Daily News. She has continued to receive harassing phone calls and mail.^[5]

Later that year, Olson and Suzyn Waldman were reportedly subjected to a profanity-laced verbal tirade by New York Yankees pitcher David Wells when they approached him at his home to comment on his sudden trade to the Toronto Blue Jays for Roger Clemens.

In 2008, Olson resigned from the Daily News.^[6] Her assigned column for the 2007 NFC Championship Game involved the vindication of Lawrence Tynes (who kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime after missing two others during regulation). At the last moment, head columnist Mike Lupica allegedly switched topics to cover Tynes, forcing Olson to miss her deadline as she scrambled to rewrite another column. When the News assigned reporters to the upcoming Super Bowl, Olson—a ten-year veteran and considered one of the staff's best writers—was left off the list, implicitly for her previously late column. Olson reportedly quit on the spot; apparent attempts by the News management to persuade her to return were unsuccessful.^[7]