Lawsuit Alleges Bills Cheerleaders Are Subjected To “Jiggle Testâ€
This offseason has not been great for the people charged with running cheerleader programs in the NFL. Earlier this year lawsuits were filed by current and former cheerleaders against the Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals, alleging unfair practices and unrealistic demands.
A former Baltimore Ravens cheerleader also spoke out after the first two lawsuits were filed. The unnamed woman did a tell-all with Deadspin and provided them a copy of the team’s rulebook, although she did not go after them in court.
Well, any thought that the situation in Oakland, Cincinnati and Baltimore is the exception, not the rule, has officially been squashed. This week five former Buffalo Bills cheerleaders filed suit, and their story, with some interesting new twists, is much the same as the others.
Though substandard pay has been accused in all three suits, the financial hit Bills cheerleaders are expected to take is certainly the worst. The Jills don’t get paid for games or practices and are required to make 20-35 personal appearances during the season, most of which are unpaid.
They’re not working for under minimum wage—they’re working practically for free. Two of the women who filed suit claimed they were paid $420 and $105 respectively for the entire 2012-13 season. No where near enough to meet New York’s mandatory $8 per hour minimum wage requirement.
And when you take into considering the fact that they have to pay $650 for their uniforms each year, which is not reimbursed, the meager compensation they do receive is completely cancelled out.
As has already been the case with the Raiders and Bengals, nobody within the Bills organization would comment on the allegations, citing team policy about pending litigation.
Not only are the Jills basically paying for the privilege of working, they allege the team is routinely subjected to sexual harassment, including crude innuendo and outright groping, at public appearances. One woman claims the team was forced to submit to a “jiggle test†so their boss could assess the firmness of their bodies.
As has already been the case with the Raiders and Bengals, nobody within the Bills organization will comment on the allegations, citing team policy about pending litigation.
Also noticeably silent on the matter has been the league and its commissioner. Roger Goodell has his hands in absolutely everything these days, but has yet to make a single statement regarding the repugnant treatment alleged in these lawsuits. The fact of the matter here is that the NFL is a multi-billion dollar sports empire, and teams forcing these women to work for scraps (if they’re lucky!) is disgraceful and wrong.
Hopefully enough of them will come forward to force the league’s hand, because we all know they won’t do the right thing of their own volition. Look at how long it took them to simply acknowledge the obvious health risks posed by concussions—and that was with people’s lives on the line.
