The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

When the Washington Redskins took their cheerleading squad to Costa Rica in 2013 for a calendar photo shoot, the first cause for concern among the cheerleaders came when Redskins officials collected their passports upon arrival at the resort, depriving them of their official identification.

For the photo shoot, at the adults-only Occidental Grand Papagayo resort on Culebra Bay, some of the cheerleaders said they were required to be topless, though the photographs used for the calendar would not show nudity. Others wore nothing but body paint. Given the resort’s secluded setting, such revealing poses would not have been a concern for the women — except that the Redskins had invited spectators.

A contingent of sponsors and FedExField suite holders — all men — were granted up-close access to the photo shoots.

One evening, at the end of a 14-hour day that included posing and dance practices, the squad’s director told nine of the 36 cheerleaders that their work was not done. They had a special assignment for the night. Some of the male sponsors had picked them to be personal escorts at a nightclub.

Same ol’ dysfunctional franchise, huh?

No. That’s bailout language. “Dysfunctional” is too vague, and when used too often, it can start to sound like people are picking on the team. It’s far more accurate to use another D-word to describe the franchise’s leaders, their ineptitude and their propensity for exhibiting the worst behavior of privileged people: deplorable.

This is not merely a dysfunctional organization burdened by some mystical inability to get right. This is a dysfunctional organization that can’t get right because it is owned and operated by a few deplorable human beings. At the top of the food chain, owner Daniel Snyder and team President Bruce Allen continue to lead one of the NFL’s most important franchises deeper into the sewer. The latest example is exposed in a New York Times report on troubling claims of the franchise’s poor treatment of its cheerleaders. The story includes five women accusing the organization of indecent and shady acts five years ago.

The most egregious alleged behavior occurred during a Costa Rica trip for a calendar photo shoot in which the team allegedly allowed deep-pocketed male sponsors and FedEx Field suite holders access to see the cheerleaders topless or wearing only body paint. And one night in Costa Rica, the Times story says, nine of the cheerleaders were assigned to escort some of the men to a nightclub. The piece also details a 2012 boat party with local businessman William Teel Jr. that included charges of men giving cash prizes to cheerleaders during a twerking contest.

fredp45 wrote:We didn't know that....