NFL cheerleaders long have struggled to gain equal pay and safe working conditions. It appears the issue still is ongoing.
Several Washington Redskins cheerleaders told The New York Times the team forced them to pose topless during a 2013 photo shoot in Costa Rica attended by a “contingent of sponsors and FedExField suite holders,” all of whom were men.
The cheerleaders, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, also described the squad’s director, Stephanie Jojokian, giving some of them a “special assignment” during their Costa Rica trip that involved being “personal escorts at a nightclub” for sponsors who had chosen them specifically.
“They weren’t putting a gun to our heads, but it was mandatory for us to go,” one of the cheerleaders told The Times. “We weren’t asked, we were told. Other girls were devastated because we knew exactly what she was doing.”
According to The Times, the cheerleaders weren’t paid for the weeklong trip to Costa Rica’s Occidental Grand Papagayo resort outside costs for transportation, meals and lodging. And while the events didn’t involve sex, the cheerleaders felt the Redskins were “pimping us out,” noting that the team also collected their passports when they arrived at the resort.
“It’s just not right to send cheerleaders out with strange men when some of the girls clearly don’t want to go,” another cheerleader told The Times.
Jojokian denied that the nightclub event was mandatory and those who attended did so of their own accord.
“I would never put a woman in a situation like that,” Jojokian told The Times. “I actually mentor these women to be strong and to speak up, and it kills me to hear that.”
The Redskins released a statement regarding the allegations Wednesday, via The Times:
“The Redskins’ cheerleader program is one of the NFL’s premier teams in participation, professionalism, and community service. Each Redskin cheerleader is contractually protected to ensure a safe and constructive environment. The work our cheerleaders do in our community, visiting our troops abroad, and supporting our team on the field is something the Redskins organization and our fans take great pride in.”
