Former cheerleaders file another lawsuit against Houston Texans

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - $7.25 an hour, is the state minimum wage and also what each Houston Texans Cheerleader is paid. It’s something they agreed to in their contracts, but the attorneys representing five former cheerleaders are asking for a fair wage.

Renowned civil rights attorney Gloria Allred announced during a news conference on Friday that she is representing those women. The five former cheerleaders were present, some of them speaking about their experience.

“The organization did not pay us for all of our working activities including practices, traveling expenses, training camp, and other required personal maintenance expenses,” said Kelly Neuner, a former cheerleader with the Texans.

“Throughout the year, cheerleaders are sent to make public appearances at various venues in Houston, for which the team receives substantial appearance fees while the young women earn virtually nothing,“ stated Allred. She also added that each woman was required to attend at least fifty of those public appearances each year. But other Houston Texans Cheerleaders see it a different way — that the experience far outweighed any dollar amount.

“Nobody goes into NFL cheerleading for the pay, but for experience," added former Texans cheerleader Nicole. "You are exposed to different connections. You are given magazine jobs, interviews, modeling gigs, different stuff that you may benefit your career later on in life.”

Nicole told FOX 26 News that she could only speak about her time as a Texans Cheerleader and her interactions with cheerleading coach Altovise Gary.

“It was nothing like what they’re describing," said Nicole. "It was a positive experience. Yes, Alto is direct and she is to the point, but her leadership style is something I admire and I really appreciate it.“

But the five cheerleaders at the news conference told a different tale. They spoke of being bullied, body shamed, and referred to a lack of security.

Hannah Turnbow recalled a time that she suffered an injury.

“I was attacked by a fan at a game, leaving abrasions on my shoulder," described Turnbow. "My attacker was not approached nor was he removed from the game. I was told to just suck it up.“

The Texans stand by the following previously-issued statement:

We are proud of the cheerleading program and have had hundreds of women participate and enjoy their experience while making a positive impact in the local community. We are constantly evaluating our procedures and will continue to make adjustments as needed to make the program enjoyable for everyone.

This lawsuit is now the second to be filed against the Texans. The first included six cheerleaders making the same claims, meaning eleven women are ready to tell their side in court. We will learn in the weeks to come if more women will follow.

The Houston Texans released this statement on Monday:

The Houston Texans have been repeatedly recognized as one of the top workplaces in our city. We take pride in the environment we provide for our staff and we are constantly looking for ways to improve the experience of our employees, including the Houston Texans Cheerleaders. While we have not been served in this case, we have reviewed the complaints and look forward to vigorously defending ourselves against these allegations. We appreciate the Houston Texans Cheerleaders for the positive impact they have made in our community and for the outstanding way they have represented our organization for nearly two decades. If there are things we learn from this process that we feel will make our cheer program even better, we will make the necessary adjustments. We do not tolerate mistreatment of our cheer team or our employees at any time.