Cowboys' Jerry Jones issues statement on multi-million dollar voyeurism settlement against former executive
The team's owner has publicly weighed in on the allegations for the first time
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1 min read
The Dallas Cowboys recently paid a $2.4 million settlement stemming from allegations of voyeurism against Rich Dalrymple, the team's former head of public relations, levied by several members of the organization's cheerleading squad. News of the settlement thrust owner Jerry Jones to center stage, considering there was also an allegation that Dalrymple took an "upskirt" photo of Charlotte Jones-Anderson -- Jones' daughter and Executive Vice President and Chief Branding Officer -- at one point during the 2015 NFL Draft.
Jones has now officially responded to the settlement.
"First of all, the cheerleaders are iconic," Jones told NBC5 DFW. "A vital part of what our organization is, the Dallas Cowboys. We took these allegations very seriously. We immediately began to look-see, an investigation into the situation. I can assure you that had we found that it need be, there would have been firings or there would have been suspensions.
"As it turns out, in the best interest of our cheerleaders, and the best interest of the organization, in the best interest of our fans, what we decided to do was show the cheerleaders how seriously we took these allegations and we wanted them to know that we were real serious and so the settlement was the way to go."
It was reported that Dalrymple was issued a formal written warning following an internal investigation into the matter(s), but then remained on in his role until his retirement in 2022.
"The organization took these allegations extremely seriously and moved immediately to thoroughly investigate this matter," said communications consultant Jim Wilkinson. "The investigation was handled consistent with best legal and HR practices and the investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing. If any wrongdoing had been found, Rich would have been terminated immediately.
"Everyone involved felt just terrible about this unfortunate incident."
