Latest news with #MeganMcElaney
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Cowboys Cheerleaders getting 400 percent raise, according to one member
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are getting a 400 percent raise, one of the members said during the second season of the Netflix series 'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.' 'Happy' isn't even the right word for it,' former cheerleader Jada McLean said on the show, via the Associated Press. 'I think I was just . . kind of felt, like, a relief, like everything had paid off. And it was, you know, finally, we were done fighting.' The cheerleaders have fought for pay increases for years. The Cowboys settled a lawsuit with a former cheerleader in 2019 that led to the squad doubling their per-game pay from $200 to $400. 'Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise,' four-year veteran Megan McElaney said on the show. 'And we ended up getting a 400 percent increase, which is like, life-changing.' The Cowboys agreed to pay four cheerleaders a total of $2.4 million nine years ago to settle claims by the women that then-public relations executive Rich Dalrymple filmed them in the dressing room. Dalrymple denied the claims but retired shortly before the settlement became public in a 2022 ESPN story. The Cowboys are the world's most valuable sports team, according to Forbes magazine, with a valuation of $10.1 billion as of late last year.
CTV News
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they're getting a 400% increase in pay
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders perform during an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson, File) The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they are getting a serious increase in pay. One of the cheerleaders has said during the second season of the Netflix series 'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders' that the members are getting a 400 per cent boost in pay. The cheerleaders have been pushing for pay increases for years. In 2019, the Cowboys settled a lawsuit with a former cheerleader that led to the squad doubling the per-game pay, from US$200 to US$400. The latest raise is four times that. 'Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise,' four-year veteran Megan McElaney said on the show. 'And we ended up getting a 400 per cent increase, which is like, life-changing.' According to ESPN, the Cowboys agreed to pay four cheerleaders a total of US$2.4 million nine years ago to settle claims by the women that the team's longtime public relations chief, Rich Dalrymple, filmed them in the dressing room. Dalrymple denied the claims, and the club said its investigation found no wrongdoing by him. Dalrymple retired not long before the settlement became public in 2022. The Cowboys have been the most valuable pro sports team in the world for almost a decade, according to Forbes magazine. That number was US$10.1 billion in rankings published late last year. 'Happy' isn't even the right word for it,' former cheerleader Jada McLean said on the show. 'I think I was just ... kind of felt, like, a relief, like everything had paid off. And it was, you know, finally, we were done fighting.'
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they're getting a 400% increase in pay
The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they are getting a serious increase in pay. One of the cheerleaders has said during the second season of the Netflix series 'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders' that the members are getting a 400% boost in pay. The cheerleaders have been pushing for pay increases for years. In 2019, the Cowboys settled a lawsuit with a former cheerleader that led to the squad doubling the per-game pay, from $200 to $400. The latest raise is four times that. 'Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise,' four-year veteran Megan McElaney said on the show. 'And we ended up getting a 400% increase, which is like, life-changing.' According to ESPN, the Cowboys agreed to pay four cheerleaders a total of $2.4 million nine years ago to settle claims by the women that the team's longtime public relations chief, Rich Dalrymple, filmed them in the dressing room. Dalrymple denied the claims, and the club said its investigation found no wrongdoing by him. Dalrymple retired not long before the settlement became public in 2022. The Cowboys have been the most valuable pro sports team in the world for almost a decade, according to Forbes magazine. That number was $10.1 billion in rankings published late last year. "Happy' isn't even the right word for it,' former cheerleader Jada McLean said on the show. 'I think I was just ... kind of felt, like, a relief, like everything had paid off. And it was, you know, finally, we were done fighting.' ___
Washington Post
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders get a long-wanted pay bump
In a shocking victory, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will receive a roughly 400 percent compensation increase for the 2025 season, in response to years of the cheerleaders fighting for higher pay and recent heightened scrutiny NFL teams have faced for low pay. News of the raise was announced on the second season of the Netflix docuseries 'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,' which premiered Wednesday. Although the details of pay rates weren't discussed on the show, the season showed how squad veterans Megan McElaney, Armani Latimer and Jada McLean were among the team members helping to push for increased wages. McLean, who was a fifth-year Cowboys cheerleader during the 2024 season, told the New York Times that she was making $15 an hour and $500 for each appearance, meaning veterans could be currently making more than $75 an hour. For years, the treatment of cheerleaders on NFL squads has come under scrutiny, with documentaries and media reports highlighting complaints of wage theft and sexual harassment across several teams. Former Washington cheerleaders told The Washington Post in a 2020 article that as they learned of unofficial lewd videos taken of the team's cheerleaders, they felt exploited by an organization that paid them about $1,000 a year. When Charlotte Jones, the Cowboys' executive vice president and chief brand officer, was asked about the issue of cheerleader pay during the first season of 'America's Sweethearts,' she emphasized the women's 'passion for dance.' 'There's a lot of cynicism around pay for NFL cheerleaders, as there should be. They're not paid a lot. But the facts are that they actually don't come here for the money. They come here for something that's actually bigger than that to them,' Jones said. Erica Wilkins, who was a Dallas cheerleader from 2014 to 2017, sued the team in 2018, alleging that she was paid less than the Cowboys' mascot, Rowdy. She accused the organization of not paying her overtime when she regularly worked more than 40 hours in a week and paying her less than the $7.25 minimum wage based on the number of hours she worked. Wilkins later dropped the lawsuit and reportedly reached a settlement. In 2022, the Cowboys reportedly paid a settlement of $2.4 million after four cheerleaders accused the Cowboys' longtime senior vice president for public relations of voyeurism in 2015, according to ESPN. One of the women said the executive, after using a key card to enter their locker room, was standing behind a partial wall with his iPhone extended toward the cheerleaders while they were changing, the report said. Before 'America's Sweethearts,' the competitive audition process was chronicled in 16 seasons of 'Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team,' which aired from 2006 to 2021.
Fox Sports
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox Sports
The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders Are Getting a 400% Pay Increase
The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they are getting a serious increase in pay. One of the cheerleaders has said during the second season of the Netflix series "America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders" that the members are getting a 400% boost in pay. The cheerleaders have been pushing for pay increases for years. In 2019, the Cowboys settled a lawsuit with a former cheerleader that led to the squad doubling the per-game pay, from $200 to $400. The latest raise is four times that. "Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise," four-year veteran Megan McElaney said on the show. "And we ended up getting a 400% increase, which is like, life-changing." According to ESPN, the Cowboys agreed to pay four cheerleaders a total of $2.4 million nine years ago to settle claims by the women that the team's longtime public relations chief, Rich Dalrymple, filmed them in the dressing room. Dalrymple denied the claims, and the club said its investigation found no wrongdoing by him. Dalrymple retired not long before the settlement became public in 2022. The Cowboys have been the most valuable pro sports team in the world for almost a decade, according to Forbes magazine. That number was $10.1 billion in rankings published late last year. "Happy' isn't even the right word for it," former cheerleader Jada McLean said on the show. "I think I was just ... kind of felt, like, a relief, like everything had paid off. And it was, you know, finally, we were done fighting." Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Dallas Cowboys National Football League recommended Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
