PROFESSIONAL cheerleaders have sensationally claimed it is “part of the job” to be groped and sexually harassed by fans.
Current and former cheerleaders in the NFL and NBA have revealed how they were required to interact with supporters at events and parties, where they were repeatedly the subject of unwanted sexual comments.
One former cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys – who was forced to sign a nondisclosure agreement – recalled an incident when her squad walked past a group of Philadelphia Eagles fans.
She told the New York Times: “We were walking by, waving and smiling, and one guy caught my eye. He looked at me and said, ‘I hope you get raped!’ That’s the kind of stuff we’d have yelled at us.
“Even from our fans, once they get drunk, they yell things, and you’re like, ‘Really?’ It’s part of the job. It comes with it. You’re supposed to take it.”
While she also added that should anyone object to advances from fans at parties, they would be “dismissed from the team.”
Former Tennessee Titans cheerleader Labriah Lee Holt said of her experiences: “When you have on a push-up bra and a fringed skirt, it can sometimes, unfortunately, feel like it comes with the territory.
“I never experienced anything where someone on the professional staff or the team said something or made me feel that way. But you definitely experience that when you encounter people who have been drinking beer.”
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Shockingly, in a handbook for the Cincinatti Bengals squad, they were told failure to obey orders would see them axed from the team.
A passage – which is no longer in the book – read: “Insubordination to even the slightest degree IS ABSOLUTELY NOT TOLERATED!!! You will be benched or dismissed!!!”
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While a former cheerleader for the Washington Redskins recalled one incident when she along with six other girls were made to feel like escorts after being sent to a fans home for the afternoon.
One of the squad commented: “It’s literally like you’re calling for an escort. It’s not like somebody grabbed my boobs, and nobody told me, ‘Have sex with me right now.’
“It’s a lot more nuanced. It’s like every other abuse dynamic. You don’t feel like you have the liberty to say, I’d prefer not to do this.
“In turn, you’re treated poorly and are paid hardly anything and are ragged on in rehearsal for not wearing the right lipstick. The whole thing is so messed up.”
A spokesperson for American Football’s governing body said: “The N.F.L. and all N.F.L. member clubs support fair employment practices.
“Employees and associates of the N.F.L. have the right to work in a positive and respectful environment that is free from any and all forms of harassment.”
While a spokesperson for the NBA said: “Team dancers are valued members of the N.B.A. family and, as for all employees, we work with our teams to ensure they’re provided safe, respectful and welcoming workplaces.”
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