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January 6, 2011

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Favre in the dock again as new allegations surface

THE New York Jets say a lawsuit filed against them and Brett Favre by two massage therapists is "completely without merit," and the team had not been aware of the accusations.

Christina Scavo and Shannon O'Toole contend in a lawsuit filed on Monday they were subjected to sexual harassment and job discrimination. They are seeking unspecified damages from Favre, the Jets and a team massage coordinator, saying they lost their part-time jobs after complaining about sexually suggestive text messages from the 41-year-old quarterback while he was with the team in 2008.

"Unfortunately, the plaintiffs never reported the allegations to the Jets, either during or after the conclusion of their work," the team said in a statement. "The case against the Jets is completely without merit, and we look forward to defending the matter in court, where we are confident that the Jets will prevail."

The lawsuit is the latest controversy for the Jets (11-5) in a turbulent, winning season. They play the Colts (10-6) at Indianapolis on Saturday night in the opening playoff round.

While the women don't say they received any messages directly from Favre, the quarterback referred to Scavo in a message proposing a meeting with her and a third, unidentified massage therapist, the lawsuit says. "Kinda lonely tonight," he added in a subsequent message to the third masseuse, the lawsuit said. "I guess I have bad intentions."

Lawsuit

The lawsuit came five days after the NFL fined Favre, now with the Minnesota Vikings, US$50,000 for not being forthright in an investigation into allegations that he sent lewd text messages and photos to former Jets game hostess Jenn Sterger when they both worked for the team.

The NFL reviewed media reports that Favre pursued two massage therapists who worked at the Jets' facility in 2008. But, the league said that claim could not be substantiated because people with "potentially relevant information" wouldn't cooperate with investigators. O'Toole's and Scavo's lawyer, David Jaroslawicz, said he told investigators about the information his clients had.

The two women worked for years at the Jets' training camp in Hempstead, New York - the team now is headquartered in Florham Park - and for various players individually, sometimes giving massages at players' homes, according to the suit. O'Toole brought Scavo into the Jets fold, Jaroslawicz said.

After Scavo and an unidentified colleague gave massages at the training camp in 2008, Favre sent the colleague a text message saying, "Brett here you and crissy want to get together I'm all alone," the lawsuit said.


 

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