New York Jets Respond to Allegations from Former Employee

The New York Jets have issued a response to allegations made by former employee Elaine Chen. Chen has filed a lawsuit claiming that she was terminated due to her involvement in probing allegations of sexual misconduct against team president Heamy El Hai. She asserts that the Jets retaliated against both her and her husband following their complaints against El Hai.

The Jets labeled the allegations as “decisively false” and stated that they have initiated legal action against Chen and her husband. Their response included claims of defamation against both of them.

In their statement, the organization emphasized that all allegations involving El Hai were taken seriously and investigated thoroughly, adhering to their internal policies and involving external investigative components. “The investigation revealed the truth, which is particularly unsettling. The allegations of harassment were completely unfounded, and the emails central to these claims were part of a deliberate and illegal conspiracy involving Chen and her husband, Larry Fitzpatrick,” they asserted.

Interestingly, Chen’s lawsuit does not name her husband directly; however, Fitzpatrick held the position of vice president of the Ticket Sales & Services team.

The Jets made further assertions against Chen’s allegations. They outlined several points, stating that:

• Chen was involved in creating a deceptive email and lied about her participation.
• The lawsuit omits crucial evidence that would implicate Chen in the alleged misconduct, which contradicts her own statements during interviews.
• Fitzpatrick, among other issues, allegedly attempted to obstruct the investigation by providing false information regarding the emails and deleting over 4,000 text messages, which led to his termination.
• They claimed the text messages and interactions related to complaints against El Hai were fabricated for a misleading narrative. Notably, before any manufactured email, there had been multiple previous confidential investigations concluding that no harassment claims had been made by Chen, her husband, or anyone else.
• One former Jets employee mentioned in the lawsuit had reportedly acknowledged that there was no basis for the harassment allegations against El Hai and collaborated with Fitzpatrick in crafting the emails.

Chen contends that the Jets targeted individuals who supported the investigation into El Hai’s alleged sexual conduct and claims her husband faced termination after confirming these allegations.

While the Jets typically refrain from commenting on ongoing litigation, they felt compelled to speak out in this case due to the nature of the allegations. “We usually don’t comment until we file a legal response, but given the circumstances, we need to address these claims immediately,” the Jets stated.

They finalized their statement by asserting that Chen was terminated based on legitimate business reasons related to encouraging a conspiracy to damage both the organization and El Hai, alleging her actions included deceitful communications.

Chen’s attorney did not respond for further comment.