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Dan Ventrelle has retained legal counsel following his dismissal from the Las Vegas Raiders organization. This indicates that he feels his firing could be deemed wrongful. The former executive and the franchise could be headed for a messy legal battle.
In a lengthy message shared via text to Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Mick Akers, Ventrelle claimed that owner Mark Davis promoted a toxic and unsafe work environment for female employees.
“Today, Mark Davis terminated my employment as President of the Las Vegas Raiders. I have committed almost 18 years of my life to the success of the Raiders as General Counsel and President. I take that responsibility very seriously, which is why multiple written complaints from employees that Mark created a hostile work environment and engaged in other potential misconduct caused me grave concern."
According to Ventrelle, Davis didn't take his attempts to call out such behavior seriously.
“When Mark was confronted about these issues, he was dismissive and did not demonstrate the warranted level of concern. Given this, I informed the NFL of these issues and of Mark’s unacceptable response."
It was his apparent resistance to Davis' alleged poor culture that caused Ventrelle to lose his job.
“Soon thereafter, I was fired in retaliation for raising these concerns. I firmly stand by my decision to elevate these issues to protect the organization and its female employees. I remain committed to doing everything in my power to support the Raiders and the Las Vegas community I now call home. I have retained counsel and will have no further comment at this time.”
Las Vegas Raiders have been the center of several recent controversies
The Ventrelle story follows an ugly scene last season involving the public outing of the then Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden.
Gruden had emails leaked to the public that contained targeted criticisms at Roger Gooddell and contained information deemed homophobic and sexist.
Gruden resigned, according to press releases, though it's likely that he was pushed in the direction and was able to save face during his exit.
Clearly, the 'Sin City' franchise is having issues behind the scenes that indicate a culture that is unsustainable in the 21st century. It could only be a matter of time before Davis loses his post as an NFL owner.
