Ex-Texans Cheerleader Sues Team; Allegations Involve Pay, Body-Shaming, More

A former Houston Texans cheerleader is suing both the team and the manager of the cheerleading squad, citing a failure "to provide minimum wage and overtime pay and accusing the cheer squad director of body-shaming tactics and failing to act on complaints that cheerleaders were physically assaulted by fans," according to David Barron of the Houston Chronicle.

Per that report, the former cheerleader—identified only as P.G.G.—is seeking to make the lawsuit a class-action suit that would include any Texans cheerleader over the past three years who experienced any similar alleged mistreatment by the team and the cheer director, Altovise Gary.

"A bigger part of the story involves how they were treated and how they were trying to change conditions in the workplace," Houston attorney Bruse Loyd said. "These young ladies want to see a change."

The cheerleader in this lawsuit said she was paid $7.25 per hour but was never paid overtime despite being expected to be "on call 24/7." She accused Gary of firing other cheerleaders who sought to improve working conditions, amongst other complaints.

The lawsuit alleges the Texans violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the Texas Labor Code.

Texans vice president of communications Amy Palcic said in a statement: "We are proud of the cheerleader program and have had hundreds of women participate and enjoy their experience while making a positive impact in the local community. We are constantly evaluating our procedures and will continue to make adjustments as needed to make the program enjoyable for everyone."

The lawsuit is the latest example of NFL cheerleaders alleging mistreatment or exploitation by NFL teams. Five Washington cheerleaders told Juliet Macur of the New York Times they were required to do a photo shoot either topless or in body paint in front of a number of male "sponsors and FedExField suite holders" in Costa Rica in 2013.

They were also reportedly told to serve as escorts to several of the men on a trip to a nightclub.

In April, former Miami Dolphins cheerleader Kristan Ware filed a complaint against the team and NFL, alleging she was discriminated against due to her gender and religion, per John Branch of the New York Times.

And former New Orleans Saints cheerleader Bailey Davis filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she was fired for violating the team's social media policy for cheerleaders, which greatly differed from the policy for Saints players. She also said the team had a strict anti-fraternization policy with the players that put the burden on cheerleaders alone to avoid players in social situations.