Former Houston Texans cheerleaders deliver letter to NFL’s Roger Goodell

Four former cheerleaders for the Houston Texans have demanded fairer pay and work conditions in a letter they delivered to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday.

The letter came three days after the cheerleaders sued the Houston Texans in federal court, saying the team failed to pay them the minimum wage or compensate for overtime.

Ashley Rodriguez, Morgan Wiederhold, Kelly Neuner, Hannah Turnbow, and Ainsley Parish also claim their coach created a hostile work environment.

‘Cheerleaders are being exploited and mistreated solely because they are women,’ Gloria Allred, the cheerleaders’ attorney, said, reading from the letter at a sidewalk news conference outside NFL headquarters in New York. 

Four former cheerleaders for the Houston Texans, pictured above with their attorneys, delivered a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in New York on Monday calling for fairer pay and work conditions

‘These cheerleaders deserve to be paid more than a mere pittance.’

An NFL security official then met with Allred and the cheerleaders outside the building to accept the letter, but there was no immediate response on the letter from an NFL spokesman.

The former cheerleaders’ lawsuit, filed in the Houston district court, said they were meant to be paid $7.25 an hour for working for the team but were routinely not paid for compulsory work duties.

That work included traveling to and attending events, signing thousands of team calendars, mandatory gym training and compulsory spray tans before every game, the lawsuit said.

The former cheerleaders also accused their coach of intimidating them with cruel comments about their physical appearance and ignoring concerns about their safety in interactions with overzealous fans.

Ashley Rodriguez, Morgan Wiederhold, Kelly Neuner, Hannah Turnbow, and Ainsley filed a lawsuit against the NFL team last week. They are pictured above on Monday in New York

Ashley Rodriguez, Morgan Wiederhold, Kelly Neuner, Hannah Turnbow, and Ainsley filed a lawsuit against the NFL team last week. They are pictured above on Monday in New York

The cheerleaders embraced their attorney Gloria Allred  after handing over the letter

The cheerleaders embraced their attorney Gloria Allred after handing over the letter

The women wrote the letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell calling for fairer pay and work conditions

The women wrote the letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell calling for fairer pay and work conditions

The team defended itself in a statement last week, saying it was proud of the cheerleader program. 

‘We are constantly evaluating our procedures and will continue to make adjustments as needed to make the program enjoyable for everyone,’ Amy Palcic, the team spokeswoman, said in her statement.

Cheerleaders have filed similar lawsuits against the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders and New York Jets. 

The cheerleaders who sued the Cincinnati Bengals won a $255,000 settlement in 2015 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers settled with cheerleaders for $825,000 that same year.

Cheerleaders for the Washington Redskins told the New York Times in an article published in May that they were often forced to perform sexualized tasks that made them uncomfortable, including a topless photo shoot. 

The team said in a statement it protected cheerleaders to ‘ensure a safe and constructive environment.’

This is the second lawsuit to hit at the Houston Texans by cheerleaders, suing the NFL team for not paying the women minimum wage or overtime

This is the second lawsuit to hit at the Houston Texans by cheerleaders, suing the NFL team for not paying the women minimum wage or overtime

Attorney Gloria Allred stands among former Houston Texans cheerleaders, from left to right, Ashley Rodriguez, Morgan Wiederhold, Kelly Neuner, Hannah Turnbow, and Ainsley Parish who are suing the Houston Texans for unfair pay, a T-shirt with their hourly wage is displayed above

Attorney Gloria Allred stands among former Houston Texans cheerleaders, from left to right, Ashley Rodriguez, Morgan Wiederhold, Kelly Neuner, Hannah Turnbow, and Ainsley Parish who are suing the Houston Texans for unfair pay, a T-shirt with their hourly wage is displayed above

Former Houston Texans cheerleader Hannah Turnbow wipes her tears as she speaks during a press conference Friday, announcing a lawsuit on behalf of five former NFL cheerleaders

Former Houston Texans cheerleader Hannah Turnbow wipes her tears as she speaks during a press conference Friday, announcing a lawsuit on behalf of five former NFL cheerleaders



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