As usual Mike Foolio
refuses to call the Redskins by their team name lest it offend anyone. :mrburns:
His article is first, followed by excerpts from the NY Times article which you can access by clicking the link above the article.
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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...heerleaders-story-gets-coverage-on-today-gma/
Washington cheerleaders story gets coverage on Today, GMA
Posted by Mike Foolio on May 3, 2018
The NFL has kept a low profile in the aftermath of Wednesday’s report from the
New York Timesregarding a
Costa Rican excursion gone extremely bizarre for Washington’s cheerleaders in 2013. The NFL may not be able to keep a low profile much longer.
The story is getting noticed. Via
SportsBusiness Daily, both NBC’s
Today and ABC’s
Good Morning America covered it on Thursday. ABC’s George Stephanopoulos called the allegations “blockbusters.”
Mainstream, early-morning news coverage has become the unofficial litmus test for whether an NFL controversy will go away quickly and quietly or whether it will have staying power. This one isn’t going to be regarded as an aberration or a blip on the radar screen. And as it gets more attention, more cheerleaders who have experienced inappropriate behavior with NFL teams or elsewhere will feel empowered to speak out.
Of course, certain inauthentic charlatans hoping to cater to a certain mindset will argue loudly that the
Times and/or others in the media hope to eventually end cheerleading. This predictable effort to preach to a very specific choir overlooks the basic reality that, if misconduct or abuse is happening, it needs to be identified and rectified.
The NFL has not yet responded to an email sent Wednesday by PFT regarding whether the Personal Conduct Policy applies to any of the allegations contained in the story published by the
Times. That’s not surprising; one way to keep a story from becoming a
story is to not acknowledge the story.
Now that it’s a
story, however, the NFL can’t afford to sit back and let others control the narrative. The NFL also can’t afford to create a perception that players who potentially engage in improper behavior are treated one way, and that teams/owners who engage in improper behavior are treated another way.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/sports/redskins-cheerleaders-nfl.html
Redskins Cheerleaders Describe Topless Photo Shoots and an Uneasy Night Out
By Juliet Macur
When the Washington Redskins took their cheerleading squad to Costa Rica in 2013 for a calendar photo shoot, the first cause for concern among the cheerleaders came when Redskins officials collected their passports upon arrival at the resort, depriving them of their official identification.
For the photo shoot, at the adults-only Occidental Grand Papagayo resort on Culebra Bay, some of the cheerleaders said they were required to be topless, though the photographs used for the calendar would not show nudity. Others wore nothing but body paint. Given the resort’s secluded setting, such revealing poses would not have been a concern for the women — except that the Redskins had invited spectators.
A screen grab from the Redskins’ website, which had some images from the cheerleaders’ calendar photo shoot in 2013. Credit Redskins.com
A contingent of sponsors and FedExField suite holders — all men — were granted up-close access to the photo shoots.
One evening, at the end of a 14-hour day that included posing and dance practices, the squad’s director told nine of the 36 cheerleaders that their work was not done. They had a special assignment for the night. Some of the male sponsors had picked them to be personal escorts at a nightclub.
Their participation did not involve sex, the cheerleaders said, but they felt as if the arrangement amounted to “pimping us out.” What bothered them was their team director’s demand that they go as sex symbols to please male sponsors, which they did not believe should be a part of their job.
The cheerleaders were not paid for the time they spent posing for the 2013 calendar.
Credit Daniel Swartz/Revamp.com
A spokesman for the N.F.L. said the league office “has no role in how the clubs which have cheerleaders utilize them.” He reiterated a statement the league has issued in response to previous news reports regarding the treatment of cheerleaders: “Our office will work with our clubs in sharing best practices and employment-related processes that will support club cheerleading squads within an appropriate and supportive workplace.”
Many Redskins cheerleaders understand the team’s approach — sex sells — and remain enthusiastic supporters of the team. They said they were troubled, however, when their safety was not taken seriously. There is no league-wide policy for security, or a union to protect them.
A recent contract for Redskins cheerleaders said off-the-field work would include “community and charitable events, youth camps, etc.” There was no mention of having to entertain men who financially support the team, and these appearances raised flags for some cheerleaders.
