Purple Stain

Securities scams, karaoke-bar brawls, and the occasional boozy ride: At least there's one championship the Vikings might be winning

A A A Comments By Mike Mosedale Wednesday, Apr 5 2000

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SCORE: 8

RAP SHEET: The local press has delighted in exposing Green's allegedly troubled experiences with women; in 1995 the Star Tribune reported that the coach's old employer, Stanford University, had settled out-of-court with a former Athletic Department employee who was suing the school for wrongful termination. According to the Strib, the settlement came just as the woman was prepared to amend her suit to include a sexual-harassment claim against Green. According to a 1993 affidavit from Dan Endy, the Vikings' former director of operations, two other women who did business with the Vikings had complained about sexual harassment from the coach. Green has vigorously denied all the charges.

Jeremy Eaton

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SCORE: 2

MITIGATING FACTOR: Green never was actually sued. Bonus irony points: If you believe Strib columnist Sid Hartman, Green "has complete control of his players and what they do on and off the field."

SCORE: 1

PSI: 9

PLAYER: Richard Solomon

POSITION: Assistant head coach (1992-present)

STAT SHEET: When Green arrived at Winter Park, he brought along Richard Solomon, a former college roommate and close friend with no NFL coaching experience. Hired initially as the outside-linebackers coach, Solomon became the defensive-backs coach in 1994, and he was given the additional title of assistant head coach last season. In the post-mortems following a disappointing 1999 season, several former players blamed Solomon for the team's defensive troubles and morale problems.

SCORE: 3

RAP SHEET: Shortly after Solomon came to the team, a front-office secretarial intern claimed Solomon sexually harassed her; according to a 1995 report in the Star Tribune, the team's former board of directors paid the woman $150,000 before any lawsuit was filed.

SCORE: 3

MITIGATING FACTOR: None provided. Solomon has never publicly commented on the matter.

SCORE: 0

PSI: 6