Mexican TV reporter wants out of locker rooms

[October 15, 2010]  UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. (AP) --A Mexican television reporter who said she felt uncomfortable in the New York Jets locker room last month is returning to work and plans to conduct her interviews anywhere but there.

Ines Sainz, of TV Azteca, will be back on the job next week and said she suggested to the NFL that, from now on, she talk to players on the field or on the sideline.

"I'm not going into the locker rooms anymore," she said Thursday at a news conference near Universal Studios. "It's not a good place right now for me. I don't want to be in there."

Sainz said she is scheduled to do interviews with the Pittsburgh Steelers next week, followed by visits to the Jets and New England Patriots.

She said she took a break after the Jets assignment.

"I need to wait one month to work again because I don't want to be the focus," she said. "I'm not looking for that kind of publicity. It affects my career and development in the States."

A few Jets players made catcalls as Sainz waited with two male co-workers to interview quarterback Mark Sanchez, who is of Mexican descent. An assistant coach also seemed to deliberately throw footballs to players near where Sainz was standing on the sideline during practice.

Sainz released a letter she wrote to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, dated Oct. 13, thanking him for his prompt response to the Jets' behavior. League spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed Goodell received it.

Sainz was wearing tight jeans and a form-fitting white blouse, which triggered public criticism. On Thursday, she wore a black-white-and-lime green sequined mini skirt and white blouse.

"I like to look good, but that in no way makes me any less dedicated to the sports journalism world," she wrote to Goodell. "I'm proud of being a woman and I'm not shy about hiding it. However, this in no way makes me any less of a professional."

The NFL responded to locker room incident by developing a workplace conduct program, underwritten by Jets owner Woody Johnson, to educate players and staffs of all 32 teams.

Sainz said she was taken aback by the public reaction to the story.

"In the first moment, I didn't understand exactly what happened. It was very fast," she said. "When I returned back to Mexico and things started to calm down, a lot of media treated me very bad.

"If I dressed properly or not, I have nine years of my career making interviews with top players all around the world and I can't believe that someone says my outfit is not proper. It's unfair treatment. I believe the media thought they were going to find a victim but clearly I don't feel like a victim."

Sainz said she has received 10 to 12 job interviews and an offer to pose nude in Playboy, which the married mother of three children rejected.

She accepted an offer from boxing promoter Top Rank to provide daily reports and features in the week leading up to the Nov. 13 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito in Texas.

"I'm ready to move on and keep working," she said.

[Associated Press; By BETH HARRIS]

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