On Wednesday, the New York Times published an article with a number of allegations regarding the way the Washington Redskins treat their cheerleaders. The story details a trip the cheerleading squad took to Costa Rica for a calendar shoot back in 2013 via the accounts of five cheerleaders who were on that trip. The women spoke anonymously due to confidentiality agreements they each signed with the organization when they joined.
The cheerleaders who spoke to the Times say that there were photos taken of them while they were topless and covered in body paint. The calendar didn't show nudity, but the cheerleaders said that the team invited spectators to the shoot. These spectators, all men by their account, were said to be sponsors and suite holders at the team's FedExField. For their patronage they were apparently given up close access to the shoot.
“At one of my friend’s shoots, we were basically standing around her like a human barricade because she was basically naked, so we could keep the guys from seeing her,” one of the cheerleaders said about this type of environment. “I was getting so angry that the guys on the trip were skeezing around in the background.”
Another anecdote from the same trip stated that, after a 14-hour session of posing and dancing, nine of the 36 cheerleaders were told that their work day wasn't completed. Instead they were given a "special assignment" that saw them being personal escorts for sponsors while they went out to a club. The Times further reports that a number of cheerleaders given this assignment were brought to tears when informed of it.
"They weren’t putting a gun to our heads, but it was mandatory for us to go," said one of the cheerleaders. "We weren’t asked, we were told. Other girls were devastated because we knew exactly what she was doing."
The participation by those women did not include sex, but the women involved still believed the whole ordeal was tantamount to "pimping us out." The women say they were bothered by the implication that it was part of their jobs to act as trophy sex symbols to make the team's male sponsors happy.
"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 who was present said. "But unfortunately, I feel like it won’t change until something terrible happens, like a girl is assaulted in some way, or raped. I think teams will start paying attention to this only when it’s too late."
Stephanie Jojokian, the director of the Redskins cheerleading team, disputed most of what the cheerleaders told the NYT. She said that the night out with sponsors was not mandatory and that the women who went weren't chosen by sponsors.
"I was not forcing anyone to go at all," Jojokian said. "I’m the mama bear, and I really look out for everybody, not just the cheerleaders. It’s a big family. We respect each other and our craft. It’s such a supportive environment for these ladies.
"It breaks my heart because I’m a mom and I’ve done this for a long time. Where is this coming from? I would never put a woman in a situation like that. I actually mentor these women to be strong and to speak up, and it kills me to hear that.”
As for the team, they released a statement that said:
"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.”
The team also made available two cheerleading captains, who praised Jojokian and said no women on the trip were made to do anything they didn't want to do.
The piece goes on to say that a number of cheerleaders at the Costa Rican resort decided not to return to the team for the 2014 season. They say that the trip made them feel unprotected and worthless.
You can read the entire piece over at the New York Times.
