According to a report by the New York Times posted this Wednesday, the Washington Redskins cheerleading squad revealed that they could have been victims of sexual exploitation during a trip to Costa Rica in 2013.

The group of women apparently traveled to Costa Rica for a calendar photo shoot which took place at the Occidental Gran Papagayo Resort in Culebra Bay, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Some of the members of the cheerleading squad reported they were requested to pose topless, while others were only covered by body paint even though the calendar did not include any nudes.

“Given the resort’s secluded setting, such revealing poses would not have been a concern for the women — except that the Redskins had invited spectators.
A contingent of sponsors and FedExField suite holders — all men — were granted up-close access to the photo shoots”, states the article by the New York Times.

However, it seems that was not all, but nine of the women were told by the squad director that “male sponsors had picked them to be personal escorts at a nightclub”. The women declared they felt “pimped out”.

The New York Times explains that information published is “based on interviews with five cheerleaders who were involved, and many details were corroborated with others who heard descriptions of the trip at the time. The cheerleaders spoke on condition of anonymity because they were required to sign confidentiality agreements when they joined the team”.

“Stephanie Jojokian, the longtime director and choreographer for the Redskins’ cheerleaders, disputed much of the women’s description of the Costa Rica trip. She vehemently denied that the night at the club was mandatory and said that the cheerleaders who went were not chosen by sponsors”.