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Mark Cuban's response to claims of sexual harassment within the Dallas Mavericks office has been roundly criticized by at least one former employee.
- A former Dallas Mavericks employee who had accused the Mavericks of creating a hostile work environment for women in a Sports Illustrated report has come forward publicly.
- Writing for SI, Melissa Weishaupt refuted Cuban's claims that he couldn't have known about the alleged harassment and wrote that she feels he still doesn't recognize the culture he helped foster.
- She is also speaking up for those who still might feel marginalized within the Mavericks organization.
Melissa Weishaupt, one of the women interviewed for the bombshell report about sexual harassment within the Dallas Mavericks workplace, has come forward publicly, and she has some harsh words for Mark Cuban about his response to the story.
Writing in Sports Illustrated, who also published the original investigation, Weishaupt wrote, "I am using my name because I am convinced that Cuban still doesn't recognize the culture he's helped create or the plight of the women who still work for him."
In particular, Weishaupt took issue with Cuban's claim that he did not know about the complaints alleging sexual harassment because he was only involved in the basketball side of the business.
"Sorry. It doesn't work that way," Weishaupt wrote. "You own 100% of the team, Mark. The buck stops with you. When I worked on the Mavs' business side, all marketing, promotional and broadcasting decisions went through you. Nothing was decided without your approval."
Weishaupt responded to Cuban offering counseling and a harassment hotline, writing, "We want equitable pay. We need to be treated with respect. When deserved, we ought to be given the same promotions as our male counterparts."
Weishaupt wrote in her piece that she was one of the women former Dallas Mavericks president Terdema Ussery had harassed, although she makes it clear that, "I will never say that I am a victim. I am tougher. I am wiser. I am my own advocate." Ussery had responded to the allegations by discrediting the sources for remaining anonymous.
According to Weishaupt, she also came forward to speak up for women who still feel the need to remain anonymous, for middle-class and minority employees who still might not feel spoken for, and because Texas labor laws leave workers vulnerable.
You can read the entire column here.