According to The New York Times, some Washington Redskins cheerleaders taken to Costa Rica in 2013 for a calendar photo shoot were required to go topless, and had no idea that male sponsors and FedExField suite holders were granted access to watch them pose nude from the waist up.
The Times writes that the cheerleaders first thought something might be awry when Redskins officials collected their passports upon arrival at the adults-only Occidental Grand Papagayo resort on Culebra Bay, which left them without official identification.
Some of the cheerleaders were topless; others wore nothing but body paint, according to the Times. None of the pictures were used in the calendar.
The Times reports that one night, the squad’s director informed nine of the 36 cheerleaders that they were to serve as personal escorts for some of the male sponsors at a nightclub. The director allegedly said, “So get back to your room and get ready.” Some cheerleaders started to cry; one recalled, “They weren’t putting a gun to our heads, but it was mandatory for us to go. We weren’t asked, we were told. Other girls were devastated because we knew exactly what she was doing.”
The cheerleaders said they were not asked to have sex with the sponsors, but felt as if the situation was “pimping us out.” The cheerleaders were not paid for the trip, although transportation costs, meals and lodging were covered.