NEW ORLEANS — A fired New Orleans Saints cheerleader has filed a federal workplace discrimination complaint against the football team, according to the New York Times.
The former Saintsation cheerleader, Bailey Davis, claims she was fired over Instagram posts that showed her wearing a one-piece outfit that the Saints claimed was inappropriate. But Davis said the Saints had just made her change her Instagram account to private to coincide with what her attorney claims is an “antiquated stereotype of women”:
According to the Saints’ handbook for cheerleaders, as well as internal emails and text messages reviewed by The New York Times and interviews with Davis, the Saints have an anti-fraternization policy that requires cheerleaders to avoid contact with players, in person or online, even though players are not penalized for pursuing such engagement with cheerleaders. The cheerleaders must block players from following them on social media and cannot post photos of themselves in Saints gear, denying them the chance to market themselves. The players are not required to do any of these things.
Cheerleaders are told not to dine in the same restaurant as players, or speak to them in any detail. If a Saints cheerleader enters a restaurant and a player is already there, she must leave. If a cheerleader is in a restaurant and a player arrives afterward, she must leave. There are nearly 2,000 players in the N.F.L., and many of them use pseudonyms on social media. Cheerleaders must find a way to block each one, while players have no limits on who can follow them.
Davis claims the Saints accused her of being at a party with Saints players, an accusation she denies.
Read the full story from the Times here.
