Top executives at the N.F.L. spent the early part of last week navigating the public relations nightmare emanating from the Los Angeles headquarters of the league-owned television network, where a former wardrobe stylist alleged in a lawsuit that she had been sexually harassed and assaulted, leading to the suspension of six employees.
As the week wore on, word began to filter up from North Carolina that another nightmare was looming: Carolina Panthers founder Jerry Richardson would be the subject of a soon-to-be-released news report from Sports Illustrated alleging he had for years sexually harassed employees and made racially charged statements.