Female employees of the Golf Channel are coming forward with allegations of sexism, misogyny and harassment at the network, The Washington Post reports.
“I knew very simply the difference between right and wrong and what was happening was wrong and it kept happening,” Lisa Cornwell, a former anchor and reporter for the channel, told the Post. “To me and to colleagues.”
Cornwell said that over her seven-year stint working for the television channel she was treated unfairly by male bosses, and was forced to leave the company after speaking out about her experiences.
Sixteen other former employees and two current employees shared similar stories while recounting their experience working for the the Golf Channel, which is owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal.
Many of the women told the Post that they didn’t feel comfortable sharing their identifies publicly.
One former employee said she dealt with sexual messages from a higher-up in 2012, and was made to feel like she was “the one on trial” after coming forward.
Greg Hughes, a spokesman for NBC, referred The Hill to comments he made to The Post.
Hughes denied the allegations to the Post, saying, “Golf Channel is committed to providing a workplace where all employees are treated equitably and respectfully, and regularly conducts training to support that goal.”
Claims that the network had previously known about were dealt with appropriately, and newer claims would be investigated “promptly and thoroughly,” he added.
“I want to have faith that Golf Channel is supporting me, the victim, on this issue, but that is not how I have been made to feel at the moment,” she wrote in an email to human resources at the time.
Laura Laytham, a former director of product and technology at the channel from 2018 to 2020, echoed the concerns of the other women who spoke to The Post, telling the news outlet that the channel “was just a boys club.”
The Golf Channel has settled at least six lawsuits related to sexual harassment, pay discrepancies between sexes or unpaid wages, including one involving an allegation that the network’s executive producer performed sexual acts in front of two women, according to the Post.