Welcome to Thursday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.
THURSDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:MLB: NY Yankees at Houston, 2 p.m. (MLB Network)MLB: Minnesota at Chicago White Sox, 8 p.m. (MLB Network)MLB: Boston at Texas, 8:05 p.m. (NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7)MLB: Baltimore at LA Angels, 11 p.m. (MLB Network)NFL: Cleveland at Toronto, 6 p.m. (ESPN)NFL: Philadelphia at Boston, 8:30 p.m. (TNT)NHL: Washington at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)NHL: Nashville at Winnipeg, 9:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
AROUND THE WEB:
-- A group of Redskins cheerleaders are accusing the team of putting them in uncomfortable situations on a trip to Costa Rica, according to a report in the New York Times published Wednesday.
The cheerleaders allege they were made to pose topless at a calendar photo shoot and serve as personal escorts for team sponsors during the 2013 trip. They say the Redskins invited a group of all-male sponsors and FedExField suite holders to watch the the photo shoot, in which they posed topless or in nothing but body paint for the photos.
After one 14-hour work day on the trip, the cheerleading director, Stephanie Jojokian, told a small group of cheerleaders a group of sponsors had “picked them to be personal escorts at a nightclub.” The women did not feel this was optional.
“‘So get back to your room and get ready,’ the director told them. Several of them began to cry,” the report said. “‘They weren’t putting a gun to our heads, but it was mandatory for us to go,’ one of the cheerleaders said. ‘We weren’t asked, we were told. Other girls were devastated because we knew exactly what she was doing.’”
The cheerleaders did say this escorting did not include sex. They were also not paid for the weeklong trip, but their transportation costs, meals and lodging were covered.
Jojokian said the escorting was optional and she regrets some women felt forced to partake in the appearance.
“I was not forcing anyone to go at all,” Jojokian said. “I’m the mama bear, and I really look out for everybody, not just the cheerleaders. It’s a big family. We respect each other and our craft. It’s such a supportive environment for these ladies … I have to really reflect and think because I try to teach these women, these cheerleaders, to speak up, not just to me but to anybody. They shouldn’t deal with anyone who is hurtful or harmful.”
The Redskins issued a statement saying the cheerleaders are “contractually protected to ensure a safe and constructive environment.”
The cheerleaders also said they felt uncomfortable with giving up their passports to team officials as a safety precaution upon arriving in Costa Rica. This became an issue during the escort outing at a nightclub when they were stopped by police as they were leaving and asked for their passports.
This report comes on the heels of other scandals involving NFL cheerleading programs.
A Saints cheerleader filed a lawsuit against the NFL in March over a double standard of the rules for the team’s female and male employees after she was fired for violating the cheerleader social media policy.
In April, a Dolphins cheerleader also filed a lawsuit against the NFL after she claims she became “a target of discipline, ridicule, harassment and abuse” from the team’s cheerleading director for a photo she posted on social media.
-- Eric Reid has filed a collusion grievance against the NFL and has reportedly hired Colin Kaepernick’s lawyer to represent him.
"Our union is aware that Eric Reid and his legal representatives filed a collusion claim, which will be heard through the arbitration process as spelled out in our collective bargaining agreement," the NFLPA said in a statement. "Our union supports Eric and we are considering other legal options to pursue."
The former 49ers safety became a free agent after finishing his rookie contract with San Francisco last season. After six weeks in the open market, he has yet to sign with another team.
Reid and Kaepernick kneeled together during the 2016 season to protest social injustice.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I felt great. Just a day game, try to get my body ready. I had to come in and do a couple of other things but I felt great running around and everything.” -- Mookie Betts, after the fourth three-home run game of his career on Wednesday