A cheerleader indicted the National Football League after she was fired for an “offensive” Instagram photo, in which she wore underwear.
Bailey Davis played as a dancer for three years in the New Orleans Saints cheerleading team before she was fired on Instagram on January 23 after posting photos on Instagram.
Her employer claimed that it violated the policy of the saint. However, Ms Davies is suing them for sex discrimination.
The 22-year-old graduated to become the Saints team a year later, and spent three seasons traveling with the 2010 Super Bowl.
In a letter issued by the British Broadcasting Corporation, Ms. Davis said that her employer told her that she “has not followed the rules and regulations of the Saints.”
The NFL team manual states: “Naked, half-naked or suit underwear photography is strictly prohibited and immediate dismissal is provided.”
However, these rules apply only to the cheering team members of the Saints team, not football players.
Davis’ lawyer, Sarah Blackwell, told the BBC: “The saints should be seen as athletes, and they are like this.
“This is a clear discrimination based on gender.”
Ms. Blackwell filed a complaint on Friday and said that she will send a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodall for a hearing.
Ms. Davis was also accused of violating the anti-association rules and stated that dancers must not associate with football players.
She was accused of attending a party of Saints players, but she denied the allegations.
She told the BBC that after she posted photos on Instagram, her coach sent her an SMS saying: “The judgment on publishing such photos is very poor, especially considering our recent talk about gossip.
“This is not conducive to your situation. I hope you will understand better.”
Davis said that the dancers were also told to remove their surnames from their Instagram account so that football players could not find them online.
She said they were also told not to comment on any posts related to a particular Saint player.
“This is a complete discrimination because our job is to ensure their own behavior. The players never harassed us,” said Ms. Davis. “The organization is trying to make them look like predators.”
The standard has been further commented by the New Orleans Saints.
Gregory Rouchell, an attorney representing the NFL team, stated in a statement to the Hattiesburg American newspaper: “The New Orleans Saints are equal opportunities employers and deny that Ms. Davis was discriminated against because of women.
“The saints will defend these allegations at the appropriate time and the Organization believes that its policies and workplace rules will stand up to legal review.”
