Is This A Hidden Problem With Football?
Kristan Ware, a former cheerleader of the Miami Dolphins, filed a specific complaint against her former team and the NFL on April 12. She alleged to have suffered discrimination due to her Christian beliefs. She spent a total of three seasons with the team.
In her complaint, she stated that she was held to different standards due to her gender and religious views. She last did duty in 2017. The Florida Commission on Human Relations accepted her complaint.
Christian NFL Cheerleader Brutally Attacked For Her Faith [/tweetthis]
Ware, who identifies herself as a Christian, wrote in her complaint that when she went for her yearly work review in 2016, the Dolphin team officials took control of the conversation. The subject was her virginity. She was informed that she may no longer talk about her vow to have sex only after marriage. Ware alleged that Dorie Grogan, the director of the cheerleading team, interrogated her about how other team members came to know of her vow.
The former cheerleader’s complaint documents mention Grogan a number of times. It mentions a photo shoot where the director yanked the straps of the bathing suit worn by Ware repeatedly until her skin was patched by red marks. She was also told to make gestures with fruit as if they were genitals.
The ex-cheerleader reported this incident the team’s human resources but nothing happened. The coaches continued their abusive treatment. Ware also made a claim that a blog post written by her for the Dolphins team website was edited to delete all mentions of Christianity. The same lack of faith was also followed in practice by the team’s Instagram account. Her posts, which contained religious content, were not promoted by the team’s social media accounts.
Ware told the media that she sensed that she was manipulated at all times. She alleged that every time she voiced her concern, it was told to her that she was completely replaceable and any pretty girl could wear her uniform. She was even told to leave if she felt like it, with the person concerned adding that 100 other girls are ready to take her spot. Ware said that she simply wants the intimidation to end and along with it, the silence.