Some Washington Redskins Cheerleaders Allege They Were Forced to Be Escorts for Wealthy Donors

Some members of the squad say they were also goaded into posing topless for a calendar shoot in front of an audience of wealthy sponsors.

Some NFL cheerleaders are claiming that they were treated as sex objects and even ordered by team management to act as escorts during a calendar shoot, although no sex was involved. 

The Washington Redskins cheerleaders were staying at the Occidental Grand Papagayo, an adults-only resort in Costa Rica, where they were shooting their official 2013 calendar, called "First Ladies of Football."

In a front page story published Thursday, "five members of the squad" told The New York Times their passports were "confiscated" on their arrival, making them feel "unprotected." 

At the photo shoot, several cheerleaders say they were required to pose topless, despite the calendar containing nudity. Other cheerleaders were reportedly told to wear nothing but body paint. 

Sara Blackwell represents cheerleaders from other squads who claim they were mistreated, including former New Orleans Saints cheerleader Bailey Davis.

"A lot of these awful stories that are coming out are not what they signed up for and if they don’t do it, they don’t get to do what they dreamed of," Blackwell told Inside Edition. 

"We had a fan who had a huge yacht — an older man — and he wanted us to go out on his boat and we had to wear cocktail dresses while he coddled up to us," Davis said. "I was 19 years old at the time; we had two 18 year olds." 

Inside Edition's Lisa Guerrero asked Davis if underage women were being served alcohol on the yacht.

"The director actually pressured us to drink a lot of the times, especially before the calendar shoots," Davis said. "She would say, 'Take a shot, loosen up.'"

The Saints did not respond to Inside Edition's requests for comment about Davis' claims.

Other Redskins cheerleaders are blasting The Times piece on social media as "fake news" and "not true."

The Redskins are also coming under fire for an interactive feature on the team's website, in which fans are invited to play a "hot or not" game that involves choosing between two cheerleaders. It was taken down after The Times report.

In a statement, the Redskins said each of their cheerleaders is "contractually protected to ensure a safe and constructive environment." The squad's director denied anyone was forced to do anything they didn't want to do.

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