Fox isn’t exactly known for upholding morality work environment. However, a new lawsuit against Fox Sports marquee commentator Skip Bayless and network executive Charlie Dixon has sent shockwaves through the sports broadcasting industry, highlighting a bleak reality for women on the field.
On January 3, a former hairstylist for the network, Naushin Faraji, filed a lawsuit accusing Bayless, whose former co-host Skip and Shannon: Undisputed From 2016 to 2024, making unwanted sexual advances toward her, including offering her $1.5 million to sleep with him. The plaintiff also alleged that Dixon, Fox Sports 1’s executive vice president, pushed her at a party and sexually assaulted other female employees.
Other notable defendants listed in the complaint include popular Fox Sports 1 host Joy Taylor, who fired Farazzi in 2017 when she opened up about the loitering incident to Farazzi and began mocking his accent in 2021. In one of the lawsuit’s more salacious claims, the plaintiff says Taylor engaged in sex with Dixon to get a position. undisputed.
The lawsuit alleges a harrowing tale of systemic abuse and complicity spanning nearly a decade. Despite the breadth of the allegations, much of the online response from sports fans, tabloids and even some commentators has surprisingly been directed at Taylor. This reveals a double bind for women working in male-dominated environments, who are in a “damned if they do, damned if they don’t” position when it comes to workplace sex. Taylor’s online response, however, shows men’s widespread enthusiasm for disrespecting women in sports journalism. In an industry that seems like it on the surface hug more womenThere seems to be no way to win.
What exactly is Faraji complaining about?
in 42-page caseOriginally reported by Front Office SportsFarage’s attorneys said he was forced to “endure an antisocial, racist and enabling workplace where executives and talent were allowed to physically and verbally abuse employees with impunity.” These include counts of sexual battery, hostile work environment, retaliation and wrongful termination. Farazzi is also requesting that his suit be certified as a class action. The complaint includes allegations of unfair wages and illegal business practices by other anonymous Fox employees in California. Fox Corporation, Fox Sports Holding, LLC, Fox Sports 1 LLC, Fox Sports 2 LLC, Dixon, Bayless, Taylor and several unnamed Fox employees are listed as defendants.
This information was reported by Fox Sports in the initial report of the case Front Office Sports“We take these allegations seriously and have no further comment at this time due to this pending litigation.” Reps for Dixon, Bayless and Taylor have yet to comment on the situation. Taylor, however, resumed hosting the show on FS1 speak up Monday without dealing with the case.
According to the complaint, Farazzi started as Fox’s part-time hair stylist in 2012 before being hired full-time in 2016. In 2016, she befriended Taylor, who was then working for the network on a day-to-day basis. It was through Taylor – whom Farazzi eventually styled undisputed and, later, speak up — that he first became aware of Dixon’s alleged sexual misconduct with female Fox employees.
Farazzi said he discovered that Taylor and Dixon were having a sexual relationship in 2016 when he began accompanying Taylor on their social outings. A couple of months later, it was announced that Taylor had been hired for the then newly announced undisputed Television show as a moderator.
The complaint alleges that Dixon gave Taylor the job as a “reward” for their relationship. Farazzi also claimed that he had heard that Dixon had also punished women on the network for not complying with his sexual demands. Farazzi said in the lawsuit that an unnamed female employee claimed she was fired for rejecting Dixon’s advances and another talk show host reported his predatory behavior to the network.
In 2017, Farage had his own run-in with Dixon at Taylor’s birthday party. Faraji alleged that the executive grabbed her butt while they were standing at a bar. Farazzi said that when he told Taylor about the incident, Taylor told him to “get over it.”
At the same time that Taylor was seeing Dixon, Farazzi claimed that Taylor began dating former NFL player and network talent Emmanuel Acho, hoping he would propose to her. speak up Faraji says he advised her not to see Dixon and Acho at the same time, as Dixon might retaliate against her. Taylor reportedly responded that she would tell the company that Dixon “forced himself on her” and that she would not be “forced out by Mr. Dixon” like the other women.
Farazi alleges that she began receiving harassment from Bayless while working as a full-time hair stylist. undisputed Starting in 2017. Farazzi said Bayless would give him “long hugs” and “kisses on the cheek” before becoming “more aggressive and direct” with his advances, which he consistently refused. In 2021, she told Bayless about a cancer scare involving her left ovary that she hoped would return. In response, she says, he offered her $1.5 million to have sex with her, which she refused. According to the complaint, Bayless continued to make advances over the years, eventually accusing Farazzi of sleeping with her co-star and “rival” Shannon Sharp – which she denies – and at one point threatening her job.
Throughout his tenure, Faraji, who is Iranian, said he suffered sexual and racial harassment from a mic technician (who doubled as an on-set cocaine dealer). She claims an unnamed employee called her a “Persian b****” (called “Ms. M” in the suit). Taylor also mocked her English and complained about her habitual humming, which Farazzi said was a coping mechanism for her diagnosed PTSD. Farazzi said a coworker reported Ms. M to human resources on her behalf in 2020 after she told a supervisor in 2023 about her problems with Taylor. But he says both incidents were ultimately dismissed or mishandled by higher-ups
By August 2024, Farazi was removed from the work schedule. His termination came a year after he participated in an internal investigation in which he said he was asked about Taylor’s relationship with Dixon and Acho. During this time, Farazzi claims that Bayless was asked by human resources if he had offered her sex. When Bayless says no, they complain, “Sure[ed] that they wanted him to tell otherwise.” His complaint describes this as the company’s “common tactic” of retaliating against “witness” employees.[es] or target[s]For bad behavior, though, Fox told Farazzi they could no longer afford his services. Faraji is now seeking unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
Indeed, this is hardly new territory for Fox, although most of the corporation’s history of misconduct allegations have occurred under their news arm. In 2016, many women are Fox News employees, including anchors Gretchen Carlson And Megyn KellyNow-deceased CEO and chair Roger Ailes accused of sexual harassment. In 2017, a the bomb New York Times investigation Fox News and Bill O’Reilly have paid millions of dollars to settle six allegations of sexual harassment and verbal abuse. Fox’s sports division is also no stranger to public scandals. That same year, Fox Sports ousted its national network’s former president, Jamie HorowitzFor sexual harassment claims.
Sports fans are up in arms — but not about Dixon or Bayless
Coverage of the case within the sports world has not been great. The arsonist is former Fox Sports host Jason Whitlock, known for his Controversial takes On racial issues, there were some sexist words for Taylor when discussing the case. on his show Fearless with Jason Whitlock This week, he called her “a symbol of this whole feminist movement” and said she exemplified the consequences of “sharing everything with women”. Meanwhile, the founder of Barstool Sports Dave Portnoy Defended Taylor’s alleged relationship with his colleagues but dismissed Farazi’s allegations, calling the case a “shockdown”. Notably, Sharp had nothing to say about his former co-host Bayless’ alleged behavior or his own involvement in the case when it was brought up on his podcast. Nightcap. “It has nothing to do with me,” he said. “So there’s nothing to address.”
It’s not surprising that much of the attention online has fallen on Taylor since Farage’s accusations against Bayless and Dixon have caused less outrage. Many social media users to reveal anger Claim by claim that she planned to accuse Dixon of sexual misconduct if she faced retaliation for dating another man. A joke about this Taylor’s accused relationship — with this that this alluring claim Beat the heat on Bayless and Dixon — plenty online.
quite a few users suggested that Taylor’s alleged actions would negatively affect other women in sports journalism and cast doubt on their achievements. On the one hand, it’s hard to imagine that part of Taylor’s case will have a negative impact on women. Male sports fans online are metaphorically foaming at the mouth at the narrative that Taylor allegedly “slept up” and some even to understand Other female sports journalists may have done the same. However, the discourse surrounding Taylor revealed a lingering problem facing women in the field.
The sports broadcasting landscape has changed a lot — at least, cosmetically — for women over the past 50 years. In 1978, Sports Illustrated Reporter Melissa Ludtke The players had to sue Major League Baseball for denying him access to the locker room. Now, female sports journalists like Jemelle Hill, Taylor Rooks, Erin Andrews and Mina Kimes are some of the industry’s most recognizable faces and award-winning journalists — though they still have to navigate their own challenges.
Andrews has notably become a flash point for the kind of mistreatment female sportscasters can experience when a non-compliant nude videos He was posted online in 2009 after being held in a hotel room and secretly recorded. In 2017, after Hill called Donald Trump a “white supremacist” on social media, he faced backlash from critics online. More recently, Kims was called a Japanese slur by a Boston radio host, while Rooks Defend her way of dressing Finger wagging against sports fans. Many problems remain for women in the casual sex industry. equal payand power The Sports Narrative Challenge voiced by their male counterparts.
Beyond the problems they may face directly in the workplace, there is the struggle to be taken seriously by audiences when reporting on a topic where only men are seen as having real expertise. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton Famously in trouble In 2017 when he told a female journalist that it was “funny” to hear him being asked about football. In 2022 the interview with cutSeveral female sports reporters have spoken out about the anxiety of having some kind of slip-up on-air given the way male sports fans are eager to label them anonymous. “The fear of getting it wrong and losing credibility over something really dumb is real,” NFL Network host Colin Wolff said.
Concerns about being labeled unfit — and the harassment that comes with that — seem to have made the case especially dark for female sports commentators. Contrary to popular take on the internet, it’s not something the allegations in this case have brought up but that unique sports fans are happy to settle.
