Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they're getting a 400% increase in pay

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Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they're getting a 400% increase in pay

2025-06-19 04:21 Last Updated At：04:31

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they are getting a serious increase in pay.

One of the cheerleaders has said during the second season of the Netflix series “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders” that the members are getting a 400% boost in pay.

The cheerleaders have been pushing for pay increases for years. In 2019, the Cowboys settled a lawsuit with a former cheerleader that led to the squad doubling the per-game pay, from $200 to $400. The latest raise is four times that.

“Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise,” four-year veteran Megan McElaney said on the show. “And we ended up getting a 400% increase, which is like, life-changing.”

According to ESPN, the Cowboys agreed to pay four cheerleaders a total of $2.4 million nine years ago to settle claims by the women that the team's longtime public relations chief, Rich Dalrymple, filmed them in the dressing room.

Dalrymple denied the claims, and the club said its investigation found no wrongdoing by him. Dalrymple retired not long before the settlement became public in 2022.

The Cowboys have been the most valuable pro sports team in the world for almost a decade, according to Forbes magazine. That number was $10.1 billion in rankings published late last year.

"Happy' isn’t even the right word for it,” former cheerleader Jada McLean said on the show. “I think I was just ... kind of felt, like, a relief, like everything had paid off. And it was, you know, finally, we were done fighting.”

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Tim Hardaway Jr. scores 25 points, Aaron Gordon adds 23 and Nuggets beat Bucks 108-104

DENVER (AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 25 points, Aaron Gordon had 23 and the injury-ravaged Denver Nuggets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 108-104 on Sunday night.

Peyton Watson had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets. Over his team’s past seven games, the fourth-year guard has been averaging 23.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Zeke Nnaji added 14 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

Denver was without five of its top eight scorers, including Nikola Jokic (bone bruise in left knee) and Jamal Murray (sprained left ankle). The five sidelined players are averaging a combined 84.6 points per game this season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Bucks. Myles Turner scored 16 points while Bobby Portis and AJ Green added 14 apiece. Ryan Rollins was held to two points, snapping a career-best streak of 37 consecutive games with at least 10 points.

Denver had lost five of eight after a 22-8 start, including a 3-4 mark since Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP, went down in a Dec. 29 loss at the Miami Heat.

The Bucks trailed by 15 in the first half and by 11 entering the fourth quarter before trimming their deficit to 105-102, but missed two game-tying 3-point attempts from Rollins and Green in the final 20 seconds. Gordon, the lone regular starter available for the Nuggets, made three free throws in the final 9 seconds to seal the victory.

Entering the night, Milwaukee had been 5-2 in its past seven games after starting the season 12-19.

Nuggets: At New Orleans on Tuesday night.

Bucks: Host Minnesota on Tuesday night.

AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/nba