Northwestern pimped their cheerleaders to boosters, lawsuit claims

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But early in her first season, the “dark side” of the program emerged, according to a federal lawsuit Richardson filed Friday against Northwestern. In the 58-page complaint, Richardson details repeated instances where she said she was groped by drunken fans and alumni during university-sanctioned events, alleging the cheer team’s head coach required female members to “mingle” with powerful donors for the school’s financial gain.

“It became clear to (Richardson) that the cheerleaders were being presented as sex objects to titillate the men that funded the majority of Northwestern’s athletics programs,” the lawsuit says. “After all, the happier these men were, the more money the university would receive from them.”

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During these encounters in 2018 and 2019, Richardson alleges that older men touched her breasts and buttocks over her uniform, picked her up without her consent and made “sexually charged comments” about her appearance, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in the Northern District of Illinois. Richardson recalled instances when the men offered her alcohol, though she was underage, or asked to meet up later, the lawsuit says.

Still, according to the lawsuit, head coach Pam Bonnevier continued telling the cheerleaders to socialize on their own, despite their requests to pair up during football tailgates and donor events. The female students were instructed to take photos with fans even if they behaved inappropriately, the lawsuit says.

Numerous university officials, however, brushed aside the allegations when Richardson tried to seek help, the lawsuit alleges.

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“At every home game, the cheerleaders were instructed to walk around the tailgating lots, unsupervised, in their skimpy cheerleading uniforms,” the lawsuit says. “They were expressly told to split up and mingle with extremely intoxicated fans alone and were not provided any security.”

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Many of the interactions disturbed Richardson. Male fans inappropriately touched her while taking photos, offered her alcoholic shots and made sexualized remarks such as, “you and I will have fun together tonight,” the lawsuit states. In two separate instances, a fan allegedly picked Richardson up, touched her backside and didn’t put her down until after the a photo was taken, the lawsuit says.

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Though Richardson felt exploited by the team requirements, she also feared the financial consequences of quitting. She earned almost $10,000 in scholarships through the team that could be lost, according to the lawsuit. A team contract states that cheerleaders who quit or are dismissed must pay back all expenses incurred from travel, equipment and practice, according to a copy provided by Richardson’s attorney. The contract said that’s “approximately $2,000 to $4,000.”

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In addition to the pregame responsibilities, female cheerleaders were also required to attend alumni events when directed by Bonnevier, the lawsuit alleges. For these events, the lawsuit says, cheerleaders “had to be especially attractive” and were “forced to dress in their tiny cheerleading uniforms to parade around men old enough to be their fathers and even grandfathers.”

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