Buffalo Bills suspend operations on 'Jills' cheerleaders

The Buffalo Bills founded their cheerleading squad in 1967. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) Just days after five former Buffalo Bills cheerleaders filed a

The Buffalo Bills founded their cheerleading squad in 1967. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

Just days after five former Buffalo Bills cheerleaders filed a lawsuit against the organization, the franchise has suspended operations on the Buffalo Jills.

The suit suggests that the Bills cheerleaders were underpaid and "mistreated," a claim similar to those filed earlier this offseason by former members of the Oakland Raiders cheerleading squad, The Raiderettes, and Cincinnati's Ben-Gals.

There was no mention of how long the suspension of operations regarding the Jills would be or if the cheerleading squad is being removed permanently.

Stephanie Mateczun, president of Stejon Production Corp., which manages the "Buffalo Jills," confirmed to ESPN on Thursday that operations were suspended. She withheld further comment.

The former cheerleaders also allege that the "Jills" are wrongly classified as independent contractors and are subjected to policies that violate the state's $8 per hour minimum wage law and other workplace rules. The civil action, which seeks unspecified back pay and legal fees, names Stejon Productions Corp., which assumed management of the Jills in 2011, along with former manager Citadel Communications Co., and the team.

As of right now the situation appears to be rather fluid with no answers outside of the Jills operations currently suspended with no return date announced.

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