Cowboys pay settlement after alleged cheerleader misconduct from senior exec

On Wednesday morning, ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. released an article stating that the Dallas Cowboys have paid a confidential settlement of $2.4 million to four of the team’s cheerleaders. The four women accused longtime former senior VP of public relations and communications, Richard Dalrymple, of voyeurism and sexual misconduct. Each of the women received $399,523.27.

According to documents obtained by ESPN, the women alleged that during a 2015 event at AT&T Stadium, Dalrymple was clearly seen with his iPhone extended behind a partial wall capturing footage of the women while they were changing in a private locker room. It is said that Dalrymple got access to the cheerleaders’ locker room by using a security key card.

On Feb. 2, it was reported that Dalrymple would be retiring from the team. There was no mention of the misconduct or sexual harassment in those reports, and Dalrymple claimed the retirement was unrelated. The former exec declined interview requests from ESPN but told team officials that he did not know the women were in the locker room and that he left right away. This was contradicted by multiple sources who did speak to ESPN. Dalrymple released this statement denying the allegations:

"“People who know me, co-workers, the media and colleagues, know who I am and what I’m about. I understand the very serious nature of these claims and do not take them lightly. The accusations are, however, false. One was accidental and the other simply did not happen. Everything that was alleged was thoroughly investigated years ago, and I cooperated fully.”"

The full article linked below has several in-depth details about the situation.

Dallas Cowboys paid a $2.4 million settlement to team cheerleaders after former VP Richard Dalrymple was accused of taking photos of them changing in a locker room. He was also accused of taking upskirt photos of team executive and daughter of Jerry Jones, Charlotte Jones Anderson.

Dalrymple has a long personal history with the team, especially with owner and GM Jerry Jones. Jones reportedly considered Dalrymple an extended member of the family, which makes the second part of this story even more disturbing.

In addition to the allegations made by the cheerleaders, a Cowboys fan accused Dalrymple of taking “upskirt” photos of Charlotte Jones Anderson. Anderson is the Cowboys executive vice president, chief brand officer, and the daughter of the team’s owner. The fan said Dalrymple took these photos in the Cowboys’ war room during the 2015 NFL Draft.

Back in 2015, the war room was shown on a live stream that could be viewed on the team’s website. The fan signed an affidavit saying that he was watching the live stream and saw Dalrymple taking the photographs. It now seems more interesting that when Dalrymple retired after 32 years of being Jones’ chief spokesman and confidant, no one from the Cowboys thanked him for his years of work, and his retirement wasn’t acknowledged on the team website.

It feels both disturbing and ironic that Dalrymple’s job was to be the team’s media gatekeeper and “high-profile fixer.” He was often responsible for getting players and execs out of trouble. Now, the organization is paying settlements to cover his reported mess.