NFLPA Managing Director Ira Fishman Under Investigation for Misconduct

NFL Players Association managing director Ira Fishman is under investigation following allegations of misconduct, the union confirmed to Lauren Kaori Gurley, Anna Merlan and Tim Marchman of Vice. 

An anonymous letter sent to the NFLPA's executive committee claimed Fishman was "toxic" and "abusive," according to Vice. It also accused him of making inappropriate comments to women, among other things. 

“Despite the anonymous, unverified and unsettling allegations contained in the email, we took the immediate step of hiring outside counsel to conduct an investigation led by our COO Teri Smith,” the NFLPA wrote in response to an inquiry from Vice. 

More than six current and former NFLPA employees told Vice they "directly witnessed" Fishman making ill-suited remarks to women and that his conduct "affected the day-to-day work environment for female employees." 

According to Vice, female employees would send messages to each other from their desks to avoid coming face-to-face with Fishman in the halls. In addition, one female employee revealed little interest in a "substantial promotion" because she would have had to spend more time with Fishman. 

The employees interviewed also said Fishman appeared to enjoy when others were embarrassed, and he would "fart and belch in meetings, and shoot his used chewing tobacco into trash cans like a basketball, so that it would spatter on others."

Fishman also allegedly used his master key to enter locked offices and his "drinking was the stuff of legend." He allegedly "drank regularly at work" and had a "stocked mini-bar in his office."

In addition, before the NFL and NFLPA came to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement in 2020, Fishman allegedly got drunk before a meeting and got into an argument with NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith in front of at least one player "that was so loud people present were astonished he kept his job." 

According to Vice, the letter also described an overall toxic work environment for women, who were often held to higher standards than their male counterparts. The NFLPA denied the allegations in a response to Vice. 

"We dispute any allegation that this is a sexist or toxic work environment. It is a disservice to the women and the men who work here,” the NFLPA said. The union also called the allegation that the NFLPA is an old boy's club "categorically false."

The NFLPA also told Vice that half of their employees are women, 28 percent being women of color. In addition, the union said women make up 42 percent of leadership and said that 29 women had been promoted or earned a higher position in the last five years. 

The letter also alleged that Smith was aware of Fishman's misconduct, according to Vice. 

Fishman has worked for the NFLPA since 2009.