Former NFL cheerleader says she was discriminated against - because she's Christian

A former Miami Dolphins cheerleader says that the NFL and the Miami Dolphins discriminated against her because of her Christian values.

Here's what she said happened

Kristan Ann Ware filed a complaint against the Miami Dolphins with the Florida Commission on Human Relations saying that she "faced hostility and retaliation from Dolphins cheerleading coaches and was discriminated against on behalf of her gender and religion."

Ware said that other cheerleaders were talking about what music they liked to listen to when having sex, and she told them that she was a virgin, and waiting until marriage for sex because of her Christian faith. She explained that later she was told by the cheerleading team director and the team's choreographer that she should not discuss her virginity to the other cheerleaders.

"My virginity got brought up," she explained, "and I said, 'You know I am waiting for marriage,' and they said, 'Well, as far as we're concerned, you've taken something that was once upon a time pure and beautiful and you've made it dirty.'"

Ware said that she was told to strip to her bikini to prove she was "calendar ready," after she was castigated for speaking about her faith and her virginity.

“After being exposed, and having my virginity [cast] in a negative way, I felt so vulnerable,” Ware told the Washington Post. “It kind of crushed my spirit to change into a bikini after that comment was made. It took a piece of me.”

"It's gender discrimination for sure," explained Ware's attorney Sarah Blackwell on Fox News. "They have players kneeling on the field, they have preachers that come before the games to talk and pray with them, they are public about their faith on social media, and they are praised for it."

"Whereas the cheerleaders such as Kirstan Ann," she added, "she's being told don't talk about God, conversations about God are removed from the blog, and she's literally treated with harassment and abuse, and mocking her because of her religion, her religious faith and her vow to wait until marriage."

What does the team say about this

The Miami Dolphins released a statement about the allegations, saying, "We are seriously committed to providing a positive work environment for everyone associated with the organization."

"We hold every member of our organization to the same standards and do not discriminate as it relates to gender, race and religious beliefs," the statement concluded.

In a statement to Fox News, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, "Everyone who works in the NFL, including cheerleaders, has the right to work in a positive and respectful environment that is free from any and all forms of harassment and discrimination."

Here's the Fox News report about the story: