WWE announcer Jonathan Coachman is being accused of sexual harassment by former ESPN anchor and legal analyst Adrienne Lawrence.
According to a report today by the New York Post, Lawrence filed a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit against ESPN on Sunday for incidents dating back to 2015. She is accusing ESPN of not addressing her complaints, specifically against SportsCenter host John Buccigross, but many current and former employees are accused of varying degrees of harassment in the suit, including Coachman.
The suit alleges that Coachman employed the “ESPN predators’ playbook,” in which Lawrence reached out to her on the pretense of mentorship but tried turning the relationship personal. Lawrence says she was advised by colleagues that Coachman sexually harassed female employees at ESPN.
“After learning that, Ms. Lawrence made an effort to communicate to Coachman that she had a boyfriend, after which she did not hear from him again,” the suit states.
Here is what is said about Coachman in the suit:
1. Men Preyed on Ms. Lawrence Under the Guise of Being Collegial or Providing Mentorship
125. On or around January 18, 2016, SportsCenter anchor Jonathan Coachman (“Coachman”) emailed Ms. Lawrence offering to provide her with mentorship and providing his cellphone number. When he contacted her via text, he quickly turned a professional conversation into a personal matter, asking her about her musical interests. He was employing the ESPN predators’ playbook. See supra at ¶ 84. Colleagues then cautioned Ms. Lawrence that Coachman was notorious for sexually harassing female employees. After learning that, Ms. Lawrence made an effort to communicate to Coachman that she had a boyfriend, after which she did not hear from him again and he made no offers of mentorship.
126. Coachman’s reputation for making unwelcome sexual advances toward women and engaging in other sexually harassing behavior was not a secret. Cary Chow had warned Ms. Lawrence about him when he gave the short list of men at ESPN who were notorious for sexual harassment. Coachman had sent Walsh inappropriate photos of himself and text messages, falsely telling her colleagues that they were romantically involved and that she “wanted” him – another common practice of men at ESPN.
The Walsh referenced in the suit is Sara Walsh, a now-former SportsCenter anchor.
The supra adds: “When Ms. Lawrence complained to Jack Obringer, Senior Coordinating Producer, Studio Production of ESPN, Inc. that she was being sexually harassed (by another individual), Obringer guessed that the harasser was ‘Coachman’ and indicated that his inappropriate behavior toward women was well-known to management. Nevertheless, Coachman continued to appear in ESPN commercials and on SportsCenter without discipline or accountability until he was quietly dismissed on or around April 26, 2017 via layoff.”
