NFL cheerleaders are willing to settle a discrimination lawsuit for only one dollar and a meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell.
The New York Times reported:
The lawyer representing two former N.F.L. cheerleaders who recently filed discrimination claims against the league has made a settlement proposal: If her clients can have a four-hour, “good faith” meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell and league lawyers, they will settle all claims for $1 each.
The settlement proposal, sent to an N.F.L. attorney on Tuesday, asks that the league meet with at least four cheerleaders to “prepare a set of binding rules and regulations which apply to all N.F.L. teams.”
Also, it would not allow teams that currently have cheerleading squads to disband them, as a way of retaliating against women who raised the workplace issues, for at least five years.
This should make Goodell extremely nervous because the cheerleaders have essentially backed him directly into a corner. By not asking for more than $1, theyve killed the narrative that the claims of inappropriate conduct have to do with getting money. Its clearly not. By asking for a meeting with Goodell theyre forcing the NFL to make a decision.
Does the NFL meet these very reasonable demands, not pay out any money and come to an agreement? Or, does the NFL come off look terrible by refusing to meet with the cheerleaders and getting out of this discrimination suit without paying a bunch of money? The NFL should take this meeting in a heartbeat, but we do know that the claims are pretty serious. For example, Washington Redskins cheerleaders were allegedly sent to a private residence occupied by a few men and nobody was sent to watch out for them. There is no excuse to ever send a group of women to a mans private residence without security. Its one of the dumbest things imaginable.
Then, we have the Saints cheerleader who was allegedly fired for posting photos on Instagram. The Saints case also revealed rules barring cheerleaders from simply being in the same restaurant as NFL players.
From where Im sitting, Goodell has nothing to lose by taking this meeting, and everything to lose by choosing to allow this case to progress. He needs to sit down and figure out what is going on before this gets much worse. As of right now, the cheerleaders are playing him like a fiddle.
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The daily caller
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