Redskins cheerleaders say they were used as escorts on trip

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An all-male group of sponsors and suite holders “were granted up-close access to the photo shoots,” the cheerleaders said. The cheerleading squad’s director also told nine of the 36 cheerleaders that some of the sponsors had “picked them to be personal escorts at a nightclub.”

“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.”

The women said their participation did not involved sex, but they said they felt as if the arrangement amounted to “pimping us out,” the Times reported. The women said they didn’t believe that serving as sex symbols to please male sponsors — a demand they said their director made — should be a part of their job.

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Team officials told 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.”

An NFL spokesman told the Times that the league office has no role in how clubs utilize cheerleaders.