Elaine Chen, the first and former vice president of the New York Jets, recently made a bold move by suing the organization. She alleges they then engaged in retaliation against her for calling attention to their misconduct, including that by team president Neil Elhai. Chen’s lawsuit comes after an internal investigation—which she claims retaliated against or targeted people in the organization—but was leaked to the media.
Chen came to the Jets in 2010 as a finance director and worked his way up, being promoted in 2021 to vice president. Her lawsuit asserts that the Jets made “serious attempts to conceal the truth” about Elhai’s behavior. He allegedly sent sexually harassing text messages to female staff, according to reports. The initial controversy erupted when an anonymous email accused Elhai of impropriety. Inclusive of the email of the distributed staff, this email opened up a serious and heavy conversation.
As per Chen, the internal investigation zeroed in on staffers who corroborated the accusations of Elhai. She claims that the team’s own Ryan Fitzpatrick was sent a copy of the anonymous email. Afterward, the Jets grilled him on its contents. After confirming allegations against Elhai, Fitzpatrick was fired from his job.
Elhai, who has been with the Jets since 2000, held the team president title since 2019. The charges made against him have caused some grave concerns inside the organization. In her lawsuit, Chen alleged that the Jets had threatened and/or carried out retaliatory actions. They went after everyone who endorsed the claims, or believed that Elhai’s behavior warranted an investigation.
The Jets have publicly denied the claims in Chen’s lawsuit. A spokesperson for the team described the claims as based on a “fabricated email” and asserted that the charges were “grossly over-exaggerated and positioned for the sole purpose of the fabricated narrative.”
“supported the allegations against Elhai and/or the belief that Mr. Elhai’s sexual conduct warranted an actual investigation and/or disciplinary action” – Elaine Chen
In response to Chen’s lawsuit, the Jets have decided to counter Sue Chen and Fitzpatrick for defamation and libel. Tensions within the organization are laid bare in this legal battle, as they continue to work through a slew of serious and troubling allegations of misconduct.
As this case continues to play out, it has broader implications for workplace culture and accountability within professional sports organizations. Chen’s allegations have contributed to a very discouraging atmosphere for anyone who dares speak out against predatory, inappropriate behavior in these environments. If successful, this lawsuit could have great repercussions for all of those involved. It can realize that ambition, but not by simply rolling back its approach to future, similar cases.
Leave a Reply