Lawyer For Cheerleaders, NFL To Discuss Possible Changes Wednesday

The attorney representing two NFL cheerleaders who have alleged they were harassed and discriminated against told USA TODAY Sports she's optimistic talks with league legal representatives this week will result in substantive change. 

Sara Blackwell said an outside lawyer representing the NFL responded on Friday to a letter she sent to the league in which she offered to drop the threat of a lawsuit in exchange for $1 and a meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell. While there's been no agreement of such a meeting, there's a conference call set for Wednesday to discuss steps to improve the working conditions of the league's cheerleaders.  

"Either they are playing me or they care about making real changes," Blackwell said in a phone interview. "I chose to believe they are legit. My clients and I care about the girls who (are) there now and coming to make sure they are in a fair and professional environment."

Blackwell represents former New Orleans Saints cheerleader Bailey Davis and former Miami Dolphins cheerleader Kristan Ann Ware. Blackwell said if the talks with the league don't lead to alterations to the treatment of cheerleaders, lawsuits could still be filed. 

"We didn't have to sign away our right to sue," Blackwell said. "We can file a lawsuit and that's the plan (if the talks with the league don't yield results). We don't want a bunch of money. We want to make this program better."

Blackwell said she has heard from several other cheerleaders who settled complaints with teams that included non-disclosure agreements.The agreements also mandated mediation in claims made against teams, meaning they can't sue the teams. 

Those agreements, Blackwell said, do no prevent current and former cheerleaders from suing the NFL. 

"There are problems within the cheerleading organizations. It's a problem that can be easily fixed by change," Blackwell said earlier Monday on SI Now. "If they are doing this as a PR, 'pretend like we are going to meet with you', that's fine. Then we will go after the money issue."

Davis filed a complaint in March with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which alleged the Saints violated the NFL's personal conduct policy. Ware filed a complaint against the Dolphins and the NFL with the Florida Commission on Human Relations last month in which she alleged she faced discrimination and retaliation because of her religion and gender. 

The NFL has faced increased scrutiny in recent weeks over allegations made by current and former cheerleaders, including from a story in The New York Times earlier this month that detailed misogynistic and predatory behavior that some Washington Redskins cheerleaders allegedly were subjected to on several occasions. 

The Washington Redskins pushed back against some of the more salacious claims, which included details from a 2013 trip to an adults-only resort in Costa Rica. According to five unnamed cheerleaders who attended the annual photo shoot, cheerleaders were asked to go topless and wear body paint with Redskins sponsors and FedEx Field suite owners – all men – watching. 

Christa Aiken, one of the cheerleaders who was in attendance on that trip, took to Twitter on Monday to question the claims as well.

The New York Times tweeted last week that it stands by its reporting after two other former Redskins cheerleaders denied they were "pimped out" during the Costa Rica trip on NBC's Today show.