NFL Cheerleaders May Attempt To Unionize
Amid allegations of wage violations and poor working conditions, the NFL’s cheerleading teams may be seeking to unionize. A former Buffalo Jill (the Bills cheerleading squad) spoke about the matter to Andrea Kremer for a future episode of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com):
“We’re looking into possibly developing some type of union for girls going forward,” the cheerleader, Maria, said. “So we’re not doing this to benefit ourselves. We’re, you know, done with cheering. This is for the future of the team, the future of these girls.”
Florio writes that the effectiveness of a union is debatable, but the threat could be enough to change how team’s treat their cheerleaders. Since February, at least five teams have seen lawsuits come their way:
- A former Bengals cheerleader sued the team in February. The lawsuit claimed that the cheerleader received an average of $2.85 an hour (via USA Today Sport’s Sheila McLaughlin).
- Five former Jills filed a lawsuit against the Bills in April. The suit alleges that the cheerleaders were payed below minimum wage for their “extensive work on game day and at various community events” (via USA Today Sports).
- A former Buccaneers cheerleader filed a lawsuit against the team in May, claiming she received less than $2.00 an hour (via SI.com’s Josh Sanchez).
- A former Jets cheerleader sued the team in May, saying she made about $1.50 an hour following out-of-pocket expenses (via Dareh Gregorian of the New York Daily News).
- Two former Raiders cheerleaders sued the team earlier this month. They claimed that they were “subjected to poor working conditions” in addition to being paid below minimum wage (via ESPN.com). This came a few months after the U.S. Labor Department announced that a previous wage investigation was closed. The findings said that the Raiders were “a ‘seasonal’ operation exempt from federal minimum-wage laws” (via SFGate.com’s Bob Egelko).
As Florio points out, teams have continually capitalized on the competitive nature of the job. For the opportunity to be a cheerleader, the team’s presume the performers would accept less than adequate pay.
“[D]oes it make it right?” a former Raiderette, Lacy, said to Kremer. “Tons of people would love to be a reporter. Does that mean you don’t deserve to be paid for your talent, for your time, for your hard work?”
The NFL has not spoken publicly on the matter.
AFC North Notes: Shazier, Smith, Hunt, Wilder
Steelers first-rounder Ryan Shazier looks like the “real deal,” according to Mike Prisuta of Steelers.com: “The Steelers knew Shazier was fast when they drafted him No. 1 from The Ohio State University. But since arriving on the South Side of Pittsburgh Shazier has gotten Maurkice Pouncey‘s attention with physicality in practice, stunned Bruce Gradkowski with leaping ability on the way to an interception and impressed Ben Roethlisberger as a potential defensive signal-caller someday. Shazier also has been running with the first-team defense since snap one of OTAs. He’ll still have to do it in pads this summer, but he created a consistent buzz this spring.”
Here’s a few more AFC North notes:
- Ravens head coach John Harbaugh says veteran inside linebacker Daryl Smith, who re-signed for four years and $16MM, played at a high level last season, writes Garrett Downing on BaltimoreRavens.com. That means first-rounder C.J. Mosley and 2013 second-rounder Arthur Brown will compete for playing time next to Smith.
- The Bengals have high expectations for 27-year-old, second-year Estonian defensive end Margus Hunt, writes Geoff Hobson on Bengals.com. A 2013 second-round project, Hunt is a “freakish,” 6-8, 291-pounder who might be ready to contribute at left end.
- Bengals running back James Wilder Jr., an undrafted free agent out of Florida State, claims he broke a team conditioning record, but he’s on the outside looking in for now, says ESPN’s Coley Harvey.
- Browns All-Pro Joe Haden is the latest to (delicately) express concern over Johnny Manziel’s partying ways (radio interview with 850 AM here), but says nothing Manziel is doing away from the team facility is negatively affecting his work. Haden merely suggests, “Just try to have fun without the whole world knowing.”
Minor Moves: Bengals, Raiders, Bears, Bucs
Tonight’s minor moves..
- The Bengals announced (via Twitter) that they have released Mississippi halfback Jeff Scott.
- The Raiders claimed tackle Emmett Cleary off waivers from the Buccaneers, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Safety Sean Cattouse (Bears), Steven Jenkins (Buccaneers), Lamont Bryant (Titans), Aaron Mellette (Ravens), and Adrian Hamilton (Ravens) all went unclaimed, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links).
- The Texans signed former North Carolina defensive tackle Tim Jackson, Wilson tweets.
- Texans cut tight end Chris Coyle and waived-injured defensive lineman Sullivan Grosz, Wilson tweets. Both Coyle, an Arizona State product, and Grosz, out of Cal Poly, were signed as undrafted free agents back in May.
- The Raiders cut David Gilreath, according to Wilson (on Twitter). The former Wisconsin wideout hooked on with Oakland earlier this month.
- The Cowboys removed former Illinois State tight end Evan Wilson from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Wilson tweets. The UDFA signed with Dallas in May and received a $2.5K signing bonus.
AFC North Notes: Rice, Steelers, Hoyer
Ravens running back Ray Rice and his wife met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell today regarding Rice’s February domestic dispute, according to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (via Twitter). Rice has tried to explain the incident, but it seems inevitable that the 27-year-old will face a suspension under the league’s personal conduct policy. Hubbuch tweets that he hears Rice’s punishment will be “significant,” and guesses the RB could be suspended for a period of four to six games.
- Despite losing two of his top three receivers from last season, Ben Roethlisberger is excited about 2014, and thinks training camp will be an opportunity to grow with one the Steelers’ new additions. “Lance [Moore], who is a pro, he’s a great professional — he’s going to be really good and I think we’re going to have a good connection — there were a few things that were just like a foot off [at OTAs],” Roethlisberger told Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “A pass I threw a little bit outside, I thought he was going in[side]. Those little things we can work on and that’s what these camps are going to be about, getting on that same page these guys.”
- The Ravens have experienced incredible stability at the holder and long snapper positions, with Sam Koch and Morgan Cox manning those roles for the past four seasons, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, and that reliability has been crucial for kicker Justin Tucker‘s development.
- The opinion of a linebacker probably won’t factor in to Browns coach Mike Pettine’s decision on who to name as his starting quarterback, but Paul Kruger told 1320 KFAN he thinks Brian Hoyer should get the opportunity instead of Johnny Manziel (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “Me personally, I mean obviously that’s up to the staff and coaches so they’ll make that decision,” said Kruger. “But in my mind, [Brian] Hoyer’s the guy. Hoyer came in, won us four games, unfortunately got hurt. But the guy was on fire when he was healthy. He’s proven himself at different levels and has worked extremely hard.” (As Florio notes, Hoyer actually won only three games).
- Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is pleased with the depth available on his defense, and the physicality the unit has been displaying in practice, and singled out three players for whom he has high hopes, writes Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “They’re rounding into the vision we have for them,” said Lewis. “The guys have been here – a lot of them – and I think Darqueze [Dennard] has fit in well. I think [Marquis] Flowers is going to do a great job. We’ve got some guys we’ve brought in here as young guys who are really going to help us. Danieal Manning is getting some good snaps now. We’ve got some guys that are going to help us that way.”
AFC North Notes: Gilbert, Flowers, Green-Ellis
Steelers right tackle Marcus Gilbert will be a free agent at the end of the 2014 campaign, and, as Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes, Gilbert can expect to see a big payday in his near future. The only question is what team will be paying him.
Though the Steelers do have some cap room to work out an extension or two before the start of the season, key players like Ben Roethlisberger, Jason Worilds, and Cortez Allen are also extension candidates, and there may not be enough money to go around. Right tackles, even middle-of-the road ones, were paid pretty well this offseason, with Austin Howard setting the pace after landing a five-year, $30MM deal with the Raiders.
However, only one of the right tackles to get a lucrative free agent deal this year graded out as a better player than Gilbert, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. Breno Giacomini, who signed a four-year, $18MM contract with the Jets, was ranked by PFF as the 41st-ranked tackle in the league, with Gilbert checking in at No. 44, Howard at No. 47, and Michael Oher at No. 68.
It would be safe, then, to assume that Gilbert is in line for a pretty nice raise, and though he would like to remain in Pittsburgh, he stated that he is not focused on his contract situation at the moment. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has apparently approached the Steelers about a long-term deal, but those talks are in the preliminary stages.
Now some more AFC North notes:
- Undrafted rookie Brendon Kay is a long-shot to make the Steelers‘ roster, but he believes he has a chance to unseat Landry Jones as the team’s third-string quarterback, writes Sean Hammond of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- The Ravens may be a dark horse candidate for Brandon Flowers, writes Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Cornerback is an area of need for the club after losing the steady Corey Graham in free agency, but before Flowers was cut, Hensley believed that the team would not sign a veteran free agent until after the final major cutdown following the preseason finale. But Flowers’ release represents one of those rare opportunities that GM Ozzie Newsome loves to exploit: the chance to grab an elite talent who unexpectedly shakes loose from his former club (see: Elvis Dumervil). Although the Ravens do not have a ton of cap space, they could potentially create more room by releasing someone like Sam Koch or Chris Canty, and the thought of teaming Flowers with Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith might be enough to make Newsome and company pull the trigger.
- Coley Harvey of ESPN.com believes that Bengals running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis will be cut before the season begins. Harvey writes that it is a “mystery” as to why Green-Ellis is still on the roster, and he notes that the club would create $2.5MM of cap space by cutting him.
- In the same piece, Harvey writes that if the Bengals want to keep Jermaine Gresham on the team beyond 2014–which may or may not be the case–any contract talks will probably not take place until after the season. Harvey also writes that the Bengals are one of the seemingly few teams who will not have interest in Flowers.
- Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, in response to a reader’s question concerning the future of Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon, writes that the team will likely not release Gordon before giving him a chance to “turn things around.” Cabot also notes that the coaching staff is high on right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who is a good fit in Kyle Shanahan‘s zone-blocking scheme.
Bengals Sign Darqueze Dennard
The Bengals have finished signing their 2014 draft picks, announcing today that first-round cornerback Darqueze Dennard has signed his rookie contract with the club (Twitter link). On the heels of Mike Evans‘ signing with the Bucs earlier today, Dennard becomes the 22nd first-rounder to put pen to paper, meaning there are just 10 still unsigned.
Dennard, 22, was a unanimous All-American selection during his final year at Michigan State, earning All Big-Ten honors and also collecting the Jim Thorpe Award as the top defensive back in college football. Cincinnati nabbed him last month with the 24th overall pick in the draft, making him the third cornerback to come off the board, behind Justin Gilbert and Kyle Fuller.
As the No. 24 pick, Dennard is in line for a signing bonus worth a little over $4.12MM, according to Jason Fitzgerald’s figures at OverTheCap.com. The total value of Dennard’s four-year contract, which also includes a team option for year five, falls just short of $8MM.
Be sure to check out our tracker to see which draft picks still have yet to sign their contracts.
Bengals Re-Sign Alex Smith
THURSDAY, 9:56am: According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), Smith’s one-year deal, which was negotiated by the tight end himself, is a minimum salary benefit contract that includes a $40K signing bonus and a $25K roster bonus.
TUESDAY, 1:15pm: The Bengals have re-signed Alex Smith, head coach Marvin Lewis confirmed to reporters today, including Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Of course, this Alex Smith is the veteran tight end who has also played for the Buccaneers, Eagles, and Browns — not the Chiefs’ quarterback.
Smith, who turned 32 last month, appeared in all 16 regular-season games for the Bengals in 2013, his first year with the team. The former third-round pick was used primarily as a blocker, hauling in just three passes to increase his career reception total to 163. In total, Smith appeared in 257 offensive snaps and was targeted on just six of those plays, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Jermaine Gresham isn’t participating in the Bengals’ offseason workouts due to an undisclosed injury, so Smith could see some extra work this spring and summer. Assuming he makes the roster though, the veteran will likely play the same backup and blocking role he did last year.
Bengals Rumors: Dalton, Extensions, Reynolds
Earlier today, the Bengals announced a series of roster moves, signing offensive tackle Will Svitek and cornerback Victor Hampton, and cutting cornerback Brandon Burton and linebacker Bruce Taylor. That’s not the only news coming out of Cincinnati this morning though, so let’s check in on a few other items….
- Andy Dalton and the Bengals have made some progress in talks on a new contract, but nothing is imminent at this point, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. According to Rapoport, both sides seem to have confidence that something will get done, but it looks like it will happen closer to – or during – training camp. When I asked yesterday about a possible Dalton extension, about 60% of you said Cincinnati shouldn’t hammer out an agreement with its quarterback yet.
- Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis appeared on SiriusXM NFL Radio and addressed the team’s negotiations with Dalton. Lewis that he’s being kept apprised on the potential numbers and structure of an extension, but that his main responsibility is to ensure that his quarterback isn’t getting too caught up in contract talk.
- Lewis also added that reaching a deal with Dalton will allow the Bengals to focus on other players who may be next in line for a new contract. The head coach specifically mentioned his tight end and linebacker, so presumably he’s referring to Jermaine Gresham and Vontaze Burfict, both of whom are entering the final year of their contracts.
- Prior to signing Svitek, the Bengals also worked out veteran offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds, tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan. It’s not clear if Cincinnati chose Svitek over Reynolds, or if the club still may have interest in the ex-Falcon.
Bengals Sign Will Svitek, Cut Two Players
The Bengals have announced a series of roster moves, officially signing two players and cutting two to make room. According to the club (via Twitter), offensive tackle Will Svitek and cornerback Victor Hampton have been signed, while cornerback Brandon Burton and linebacker Bruce Taylor have been waived.
Svitek, who entered the league as a sixth-round pick in 2005, has spent time with the Chiefs, Falcons, and Patriots. The 32-year-old played 238 offensive snaps for New England last season, earning a pair of starts at right tackle during the season in relief of Marcus Cannon. As for Hampton, his signing was first reported by his agent yesterday, a day before he was scheduled to visit the Giants.
Meanwhile, Taylor didn’t appear in a single game for the Bengals last season, while Burton played in five contests, primarily as a special-teamer.
Minor Moves: Vikings, Colts, Packers, Bengals
Here are Tuesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- Third-round running back Jerick McKinnon has signed his rookie contract with the Vikings, the team announced today in a press release. All 10 Minnesota draftees are now under contract, meaning half of the NFL’s 32 teams have finished signings their draft picks.
- The Colts announced two corresponding roster moves today in a press release, signing wide receiver Greg Moore and cutting center Thomas Austin to clear room on the roster. Moore was initially signed as an undrafted free agent out of Lane College last month, but was waived a few days later.
- The Packers have signed former Oklahoma State linebacker Shaun Lewis, tweets Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. The OSU alum, who went undrafted in May, fills out Green Bay’s roster at 90 players.
- A pair of Angelo Wright clients have found new NFL homes, according to the agent himself, who tweeted word of the contract agreements today. Former Texas Tech defensive end Dartwan Bush has agreed to terms with the Cowboys, while ex-South Carolina cornerback Victor Hampton has struck a deal with the Bengals. Hampton had been scheduled to pay a visit to the Giants later this week.