Former NFL Cheerleaders Willing to Settle for $1 Each, Meeting With Roger Goodell
Two former NFL cheerleaders are willing to settle discrimination claims against the league for a $1 each if they can have a meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell, reportsThe New York Times' John Branch.
According to Branch, if the clients can have a "good faith" meeting with Goodell and lawyers, they will settle the claim for $1 each. The proposal asks the league to meet with at least four cheerleaders to "prepare a set of binding rules and regulations which apply to all N.F.L. teams.” Teams with cheerleading squads would also not be allowed to disband as a form of retaliation.
Sara Blackwell is the Florida lawyer representing former Saints cheerleader Bailey Davis and former Dolphins cheerleader Kristan Ware. She is looking for a response from the NFL by May 4.
Cheerleaders have pushed issues such as low pay, sexual discrimination and strict rules to the forefront in the last few years.
Davis filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying it was mainly found in workplace social media and fraternization policies.
Ware filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations, alleging she was discriminated against because of her gender and religion.
The NFL has since issued a statement supporting workplace equity.
“I understand that they could meet with us, patronize us and do nothing in the end,” Blackwell told the Times. “I understand that risk. But it’s a risk we’re willing to take to try to have real change.”
Read the full New York Times article here
