Her allegations are the latest in a long history of sexual harassment and assault of women sports writers.
, writing that she had not told anyone about the alleged assault for 18 years. She said she felt moved to speak publicly about it for the first time when she heard news that the Mets’ general manager, Jared Porter, had been fired for sendingAccording to O’Brien, the incident happened when she met the player—whom she chose not to identify—in a hotel room for their interview.
I knew that if I told anyone what happened that it would ruin my career. I was 22 with no track record, and at that time—nearly two decades ago—most people in baseball would have rallied to protect the athlete. So I blamed myself. I must have been too nice, too trusting, too friendly and open. Even though I said no, it must have been a misunderstanding. I lived in fear the story would get out.
O’Brien said she spent the rest of her career worrying that the player had falsely claimed they had consensual sex in order to make “himself out to be a stud” and making her seem like “some girl who was there to pick up ball players instead of do [her] job.” She turned down assignments to cover his team and decided against applying to jobs in cities whose home teams she knew he played for.
O’Brien managed to avoid her alleged rapist—aside from occasionally having to travel to the city he played in for games—but as a woman sports writer she was subject to the kind of sexual harassment that is almost pedestrian in the industry. Among the instances of harassment: a coach who nicknamed her “legs”; players who speculated about what kind of underwear she had on; players who asked her what sex positions she liked; a team manager who kept a blow-up doll in his office.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dodger Stadium sellout is America's largest pro sports team crowd since pandemicAn audience of about 52,078 baseball-starved fans witnessed Los Angeles top the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-3.
Read more »
Electric sports cars are shockingly fast and emissions-free. But will loyalists buy them?Electric Porsches, Audis, BMWs: The new class of sports cars is mind-blowingly fast and emissions-free.
Read more »
George Mason pitcher dies after Tommy John surgerySang Ho Baek, 20, 'was an incredible teammate who was loved by everyone associated with Mason baseball,' his coach said.
Read more »
NY Yankees accomplish a rare baseball feat Sunday in 2-1 win over the Oakland A'sIt's a good thing Yankee Stadium is open to the public, because 27,807 fans on Sunday got to see the home team tie a record for a rare feat.
Read more »
George Mason baseball player dies after Tommy John surgeryThe George Mason University community is mourning the death of student-athlete Sang Ho Baek, a pitcher for the Fairfax, Virginia, university's baseball team.
Read more »