A former Chicago Blackhawks contractor hired to build relationships with the Native American community is suing the team for sexual harassment, fraud and breach of oral contract.
Nina Sanders was hired by the hockey franchise in 2020 and believed the team would change its “racist” (her words) logo after conversations with CEO Danny Wirtz.
However, that didn’t happen, and Sanders told CBS Chicago that she felt “used” after the team formed a partnership with a local tribe using her expertise.
Additionally, Sanders said she was sexually harassed by a man working for the organization.
She said in a lawsuit that he touched her “without consent” and also sent her unwanted “sexually explicit videos of himself.”
The Blackhawks have been under pressure to change their logo in recent years
The Blackhawks said there was “insufficient evidence” to support Sanders’ claims and also said the person accused of sexually harassing him was never a contractor or employee of the team.
Sanders said she also reported two other incidents of sexual harassment against other women at Blackhawks events by men working with the organization. The team’s lawyers told Sanders’ 2023 representation that any allegations of sexual harassment were only disclosed after she was not granted a contract renewal.
However, the Blackhawks recently told CBS Chicago that Sanders was in fact offered a new contract, but did not accept it.
The Blackhawks, named after a real-life warlord in Black Hawk, entered into a formal partnership with his tribe, the Sac and Fox Nation in 2021 – but Sanders is unhappy with how she was treated.
The Blackhawks said there was “insufficient evidence” to support Sanders’ sexual harassment allegations.
“I built relationships with my own trusted Native colleagues,” Sanders told CBS Chicago, “and once they figured out how to do it, they kicked me out.”
The team said it has had a “working relationship” with tribal members for more than a decade.
Sac and Fox Nation had previously opposed the team logo, but drafted a resolution in 2021 reversing that position.
The issue of Native American representation in sports has come to the forefront in recent years as Commanders and Wardens have changed their old logos.