Two former NFL cheerleaders who recently filed discrimination lawsuits against the NFL are now willing to drop the pending suits and settle for something much less, and it is all in the name of drawing attention to what they are calling a very “messed up culture" inside the NFL.

According to a USA Today report, the former cheerleaders, Bailey Davis of the New Orleans Saints and Kristan Ware who once cheered for the Miami Dolphins said they will settle the claims for the low price of $1 each -- that is if commissioner Roger Goodell will have a "good faith" meeting with a group of at least four cheerleaders.

The accusations

If these cheerleaders are telling the truth, and there is no reason as of now to believe otherwise, this could open up a can of worms inside the NFL cheerleading world.

People.com indicates that when Kristan Ware beat out hundreds of other women to earn a spot on the Dolphins' cheer squad, she was “dizzy with excitement after landing her dream job”. Ware soon realized that this job wasn’t just about cheering, it also involved pretending to be happy, even if you were being pestered or harassed.

“We were told we always have to be smiling,” Ware tells PEOPLE, “and be so nice.”

That includes even if the fans are drunk or if they reach out and try to grope you. Even with security present, Ware says she received unwanted physical contact two times in her three seasons with the Dolphins.

While she put up with those antics, the next one was the final straw, and it came within the organization.

Ware says what led to her quitting was the treatment she received from her own team leaders, whom she alleges badgered her about her virginity and forbid her from expressing her Christian faith to others.

Bailey Davis’ story is much different, but the end result is the same.

Davis said she was fired from her position as a member of the “Saintsations” over an image posted on social media as well as her alleged appearance at a party.

Another bad mark for the NFL?

This is where things can get tricky. How far can an employer of any business tell you what to believe, what kind of pictures you can post or where you can hang out in your free time?

The fact that these two ladies are willing to drop their lawsuit just to have a meeting with Roger Goodell should speak volumes that they were treated unfairly. Sure, the NFL may be the king of all sports at the moment, but the last two seasons have been a bit rough in the PR Department. Goodell should take advantage of this to not only show he is concerned, but because it is the right thing to do.

Sara Blackwell, the lawyer representing both Davis and Wade, sent a proposal to the NFL that reportedly is requesting a four-hour "good faith" meeting with Goodell in hopes to accomplish a "binding set of rules" for all NFL teams' cheerleaders. The documented proposal reportedly is seeking a response by May 4.
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