Dan Ventrell, whose sudden departure as head of the Las Vegas Raiders was announced in a statement to owner Mark Davis Friday, released his own statement later, claiming he was fired in retaliation for raising concerns of several employees about working conditions within the organization hostile to the NFL.
“I take this responsibility very seriously, which is why many written complaints from employees have been submitted to Mark [Davis] I created a hostile work environment and engaged in other potential misconduct that caused me great anxiety.” Las Vegas magazine review. “When he confronted Mark about these issues, he was dismissive and did not show the required level of concern.
“Shortly afterwards, I was fired in retaliation for raising these concerns. I stand by my decision to bring these cases to protect the organization and its employees.”
Ventrell added that he has retained a lawyer and will not provide further comment at this time.
The Raiders did not say why Ventrelle was released when they announced his departure earlier on Friday. They did not comment on Ventrell’s statement.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league “recently became aware of these allegations and is taking them seriously. We will look into the matter immediately.”
Ventrelle’s departure continues a certain sense of palace intrigue within the Raiders organization as it has undergone massive turmoil since moving to Southern Nevada from Oakland in 2020.
He was appointed full-time head coach after the 2021 season after taking the job temporarily when Mark Baden resigned last July. Ventrelle previously served as the team’s executive vice president and general counsel and was with the team for 18 years.
Badin cited the family, the end of the elegant stadium, and the desire for new pursuits, after he had been with the team since 1991, as reasons for his resignation.
In addition, the invaders also saw the departures of the business side of CFO Ed Villanueva (18 years), Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development Brandon Dole (8 years) and Controller Araxie Grant (20 months) last summer.
On the football front, coach John Gruden, who signed a 10-year contract in 2018, resigned on October 11, in the wake of his email scandal. General Manager Mike Mayock, who was appointed in 2019, was let go in January.
Davis then appointed coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler.
Jeremy Aguero on Thursday resigned as Raiders’ chief of operations and analytics after just seven months, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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