Two female reporters were blocked from entering an NFL locker room on Sunday by an older male who did not think women were allowed in the sacred quarters.
Graham Watson, who covers college football for Yahoo Sports, and Joey Chandler of The Tuscaloosa News, were covering Sunday’s game between the Colts and Jaguars as part of the Associated Press Sports Editors’ diversity weekend.
Watson tweeted that she was trying to enter the locker room after the Colts-Jaguars game in Indianapolis but was blocked by an usher.
I was just blocked from a locker room by an old, out-of-touch geezer who wasn't sure women were allowed because "you know how guys are."
— Graham Watson (@Yahoo_Graham) October 4, 2015
This guy was an usher and apparently not aware that women cover sports. I about lost it. @Colts @Jaguars
— Graham Watson (@Yahoo_Graham) October 4, 2015
I have covered male sporting events all over the world and it took coming to Indianapolis to face my first gender discrimination. @NFL
— Graham Watson (@Yahoo_Graham) October 4, 2015
Chandler said the same thing happened to her:
When getting ready to enter Jags locker room with other APSE female fellows, old man tried to deny us entry. It's still 2015, right?
— Joey Chandler (@Joey_TNews) October 4, 2015
Watson notes that she was eventually allowed in the locker room after the man asked several others if she was cleared to get in.
I do want to note that we did eventually get in and we were able to do our job after the man asked several males if it was OK if we got in.
— Graham Watson (@Yahoo_Graham) October 4, 2015
That is some poor discrimination that just shouldn’t happen in 2015. The PR staffs for both the Jaguars and Colts apologized to the women for what happened.
We saw this happen to a female reporter covering the Masters in 2011 and that caused a huge stir — for good reason. A year later the exclusive club admitted its first female members. It’s been years since then; you would figure it’s common knowledge that female reporters have equal access as males, but apparently that’s not entirely the case.
