Ex-Cheerleader Sues Colts for Discrimination, Says Others Involved in 'Notoriety' Weren't Fired
A former cheerleader for the Indianapolis Colts has sued the team alleging that it discriminated against her by firing her after she posed in racy photographs when it had not fired others for similar conduct.
Malori Wampler, 27, says in her federal lawsuit that she did not violate a team rule against “notoriety” by posing for photos in a painted-on bikini, which occurred while she was working with Playboy before she was hired by the team. She was fired, however, she alleges, while other cheerleaders who were involved in “notoriety” and are white were not fired, reports the Indianapolis Star.
Wampler is of Indonesian descent.
A team code of conduct prohibits cheerleaders from participating in “any act that will or may create notoriety,” the newspaper says.
Attorney Dan Emerson, who serves as general counsel for the Colts, says the suit has “zero merit” but declined to comment further. It was filed last week in federal court in Indianapolis.
A tip of the hat to Above the Law and Overlawyered.
