Former Miami Dolphins cheerleader, Kristen Ann Ware, filed a Complaint against the NFL and the Dolphins for discrimination on the basis of her religion and gender.
According to the Washington Post, Ware alleged that she was subjected to a hostile work environment throughout her 3 seasons as a Dolphins cheerleader.
Her Complaint alleges that she was held to a different standard than the football players in regards to her: social media activity, expressions of her religion, and references to her Christian beliefs.
Ware also claims that one of Miami’s team cheerleading coaches actually called her in for an interview only to discuss her decision to forego sex before marriage at the job:
Let’s talk about your virginity.
By the time she left that meeting, Ware alleges that two coaches asked her to stop discussing her virginity while at work.
Ware alleges that Dorie Grogan, Miami’s Team Director, even made shrewd comments to her during a bikini shoot, where the cheerleaders were incorporating mix-fruits into their photos:
Play with the fruit like they were balls.
Make love to the camera.
Ware believes that Grogan made comments like these to further antagonize her about her virginity.
According to NBC News, Ware also alleges that the team teased her by making her wear a big set of “angel wings” during this bikini shoot.
(which is an obvious play off of the angel wings that Victoria’s Secret gives its first-time models at their annual fashion show when they walk the runway for their very first times)
Ware credits Bailey Davis in providing her with the courage to file her Complaint against the Dolphins and the NFL:
If it wasn’t for Bailey speaking out, I would have never been able to find Sara…If it wasn’t for God healing me and using my pain for his purpose, I would have never been courageous enough to tell my story. Right now is the perfect time to tell my story.
Last month, Davis, who is an ex-New Orleans cheerleader, similarly filed suit against the Saints for “antiquated” and “blatant discrimination”, which included radically distinct fraternizing policies for women in relation to the men at the organization.
Ware and Bailey also retained the same attorney for their suits: Sara Blackwell.
In a statement for the league, NFL spokesman, Brian McCarthy, provided:
The NFL and all NFL member clubs support fair employment practices…Everyone who works in the NFL, including cheerleaders, has the right to work in a positive and respectful environment that is free from any and all forms of harassment and discrimination and fully complies with state and federal laws.
The Dolphins followed up by releasing a statement of their own:
We are seriously committed to providing a positive work environment for everyone associated with the organization. We hold every member of our organization to the same standards and do not discriminate as it relates to gender, race and religious beliefs.
The NFL just can’t get right on issues dealing with women in the work place.
Flip the pages to see video of Kristen Ann Ware at the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders’ Swimsuit Fashion Show and more photos of her.