According to two recently filed lawsuits, a former NFL player accused the CEO of a New York-based metaverse firm of sexually harassing him and another black employee. He said she used racial insults, put him through strange come-ons, and made vulgar comments about his sex life. Former Oakland Raiders tight end Teyo Johnson claims Everyrealm CEO Janine Yorio fostered a hostile work environment, including one comment in which she threatened to “transfer” Johnson if he didn’t comply with her demands, according to the New York Post.

Yorio and Everyrealm were listed as defendants in the case, which was filed in federal court in Manhattan. Everyrealm has backing from Silicon Valley investment company Andreessen Horowitz and celebrity endorsers like Paris Hilton, Will Smith, and The Weeknd, among others. Johnson also claims that he was forced to participate in “sexually harassing games” where clients and staff were urged to have affairs. He asserts that in March, when they were on a business trip to the SXSW (South By Southwest) event in Texas, Yorio informed him about a “sex-related game that she urged staff to participate.” According to the lawsuit, the terms “KYP,” which stands for “know your personnel,” and “KYC,” which stands for “know your client,” are “euphemisms for engaging in sexual activity with coworkers and business partners.” According to the complaint, the white female CEO advised Johnson that “being laid with a coworker on a business trip” was “the way to pay the game.” Johnson, whose position required him to oversee celebrity accounts, claims Yorio inquired about if “he would be doing any KYP.” He claims he was “taken aback” by the remark and “politely reminded her that he was ‘already pretty close with someone'” as a result.

The former NFL player alleges that on the same night, Yorio entered his hotel room and began “testing the waters” with him, “insinuating in no uncertain terms that she felt he would” cheat on his girlfriend “to participate in the company’s KYP game.” Johnson said that Yorio called him a “dumb Black person,” “the whitest Black person,” and made insulting remarks regarding his girlfriend’s menstrual cycle. A representative for Everyrealm referred to Johnson’s assertions as “lies” and made an effort to paint him as an inept and unmotivated worker when The Post contacted them for comment. Everyrealm also claimed that Johnson “openly and frequently disparaged the mother of his kid and requested that Everyrealm pay a portion of his income in cash to avoid garnishment for child support payments” in their own legal complaint. The business also stated that it turned down Johnson’s purported demand for payment in cash.

Johnson insulted a junior female employee by calling her a “rookie” and refused to meet with her, the firm said in its petition. Johnson also called Mrs. Yorio and Everyrealm co-founder, Julia Schwartz “that b****” and “that crazy b****,” it was further claimed. But in a complaint filed this month, another former Black employee of Yorio makes same allegations. Gatsby Frimpong, a product manager who has held positions at Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Cisco Systems in the past, alleges that he received far less compensation at Everyrealm than a white engineering director would have received for almost equal work. According to Frimpong, Yorio denied his application for a promotion as a result of his claimed rejection of her sexual advances, as The Post notes. Again attempting to defend Yorio, an Everyrealm representative told The Post that the accusations were ridiculous. Frimpong, the former employee, worked from home, and Mrs. Yorio only sometimes spoke with him on video chats.

Introducing our keynote speaker Janine Yorio(@janineyorio) who will be at #KBW2022 to address on a gateway to the Metaverse.

Janine Yorio is CEO of EVERYREALM(@everyrealm), one of the most active investors and developers of the metaverse real estate ecosystem. pic.twitter.com/BitWesburt

— Korea Blockchain Week (@kbwofficial) July 4, 2022

“We’ll fight back against his baseless accusations. Former workers who are seeking multimillion dollar compensation in these cases have made several false accusations, the corporate representative continued. Our business puts a lot of effort into creating an accepting, inclusive environment, and we’ll keep fighting these claims.

According to reports, Everyrealm has sued Johnson and Frimpong on its own behalf. These lawsuits are presently seeking to have the cases arbitrated rather than litigated. According to The Post, the plaintiffs were charged with making a “extortionate” $1.9 million settlement demand by the defendant. – Steve Sijenyi