On Wednesday morning, Katie Strang and Andrew Marchand of The Athletic published a report detailing Lee Fitting's dismissal of ESPN and allegations of misconduct against him.
According to the report, Fitting "made comments objectifying women, criticized their physical appearance, and made crude jokes, some sexual in nature." A complaint was filed against Fitting in 2023
Fitting was dismissed by ESPN in August 2023. He was hired by WWE in January as the Head of Media and Production.
WWE is named in an active lawsuit filed by former employee Janel Grant, who accused Vince McMahon of sexual assault and sex trafficking.
In light of the report from The Athletic, representatives for Janel Grant issued the following statement:
Janel Grant's Spokesperson Responds to New Allegations of Top WWE Producer’s Abusive Workplace History
WWE continues to cultivate an unsafe work environment by employing alleged predators and silencing survivors of harassment and workplace misconduct
NEW YORK – Today, Kendra Barkoff-Lamy, the spokesperson for Janel Grant, released the following statement on The Athletic's new reporting of decades of sexual misconduct and workplace harassment by Lee Fitting, former ESPN Senior Vice President of Production and current WWE Head of Media & Production.
“How can WWE claim they are committed to improving the company’s culture, and at the same time, hire a man earlier this year who was accused of sexual misconduct and workplace harassment in his previous role? The allegations against Lee Fitting during his time at ESPN are extremely concerning. Revelations like this are why Janel Grant’s lawyers sent a letter to WWE and Endeavor, urging them to release all current and former employees from their NDAs. The same old boys club who enabled Janel Grant’s abuse are continuing to put alleged predators in leadership roles, and this pattern must change once and for all.”
In October, attorneys for Ms. Grant sent a letter to WWE President Nick Khan, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and Endeavor (WWE’s parent company) CEO Ari Emanuel calling on WWE leadership to waive the company’s non-disclosure agreements and allow former and current employees, wrestlers and contractors to speak out about sexual misconduct, sexual assault, harassment, workplace aggression and the toxic culture at WWE. To date, there has been no response from WWE or Endeavor to the letter.
The full letter is available HERE
A WWE spokesperson told The Athletic the company had no comment on the allegations against Fitting.
On December 11, the six-month stay in Janel Grant's civil lawsuit against Vince McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis expired.
