Ex-Cowboys Cheerleader Sues Team; Claims Mascot Earned More Money
A former cheerleader for Dallas Cowboys sued the team this week, saying that the team mascot made more than she did.
Erica Wilkins filed a suit in U.S. District Court for Northern District of Texas on Tuesday, and alleges that the Cowboys failed to pay her minimum wage and overtime and that she made a quarter of what the mascot made.
Wilkins says the team violated The Equal Pay Act and Fair Labor Standards Act and seeks "other available damages."
"They’re profiting off our images and our bodies that we work so hard to keep in shape,” Wilkins told Dallas television station WFAA-TV. "We put in so much work and not to be compensated fairly is really an injustice. They’re profiting off our images and our bodies that we work so hard to keep in shape,”
Wilkins cheered for the Cowboys from May 2014 through August 2017, saying the most she made in a year $16,516.01.
The Cowboys mascot, Rowdy, made about $65,000, according to the lawsuit.
“Rowdy is in a costume, you have no look requirements, no height requirements, and no weight requirements," Wilkins said.
The lawsuit filed by Wilkins is in the latest by former cheerleaders who allege harassment and unequal pay.
Three former Houston Texans cheerleaders sued the team last month, saying they were paid less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and endured physical assault by fans.
Former cheerleaders for the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins have filed complaints claiming that they have been sexually harassed and discriminated against./
