Attorney Alexandra Benevento, center, speaks with reporters during a news conference announcing a cheerleader abuse lawsuit filed in Tennessee on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn.
The lawsuit, brought anonymously by two teenage boys and one boy's mother, alleges that a Premier Athletics coach sent nude pictures and masturbation videos and instigated nonconsensual sexual acts. In the statement, Premier Athletics said it heard June 26 from an athlete who reported receiving inappropriate photos from the coach. According to the statement, Premier suspended the coach and immediately made a report to local law enforcement and USASF, neither of whom substantiated the complaint. Premier fired the coach, according to the statement.
Premier Athletics received reports in late May or June, but the coach continued to access the gym as recently as this month, according to the boys in the lawsuit. The boys say in their lawsuit that USASF and Varsity endangered athletes by failing to report the misconduct to local law enforcement. Lawyers with the Strom Law Firm said Tuesday they are aware of other potential victims and seek to expedite this case. Attorney Alexandra Benevento said the allegations are part of a greater “culture of oversexualization in cheer.”