Tampa Bay Buccaneers become latest team to be sued by former cheerleader

A new lawsuit accuses the Buccaneers of not paying cheerleaders for practices and certain public events. (Chris O'Meara/AP) The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have

A new lawsuit accuses the Buccaneers of not paying cheerleaders for practices and certain public events. (Chris O'Meara/AP)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have become the latest team to be slapped with a lawsuit from a former cheerleader. After the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills found themselves facing similar lawsuits, the Buccaneers are being sued by former cheerleader Manouchcar Pierre-Val for violating federal and state wage laws, according to The Tampa Tribune.

Pierre-Val decided to quit cheering because it was not a “smart choice for her because she wasn’t being compensated for the majority of the time,” according to her attorney.

Pierre-Val claims she was receiving less than $2 an hour for all of the work she was required to show up for.

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The Tribune provided further details:

The Buccaneers pay cheerleaders $100 per game, and they are required to show up four hours before each game, Woods said. She said they are not paid for four to 15 hours of mandatory practices every week. The cheerleaders are also required to attend 40 hours of public appearance events each year.

They are compensated $25 to $50 an hour for corporate-sponsored events, but nothing for other kinds of events, Woods said.

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The lawsuit alleges the team violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and that the women are entitled to unpaid wages and at least minimum wage for the hours they worked.

Earlier this year, following a similar lawsuit against the Oakland Raiders, the U.S. Department of Labor ruled that cheerleaders are not subject to minimum wage laws because they are only seasonal workers.