Double standard: A former New Orleans Saints cheerleader is suing the NFL team, according to The New York Times, alleging team rules violate the league’s personal conduct policy by having double stands for men and women. Bailey Davis, a three-year member of the Saintsations, was fired in January after posting a photo of herself in a one-piece outfit on her personal Instagram page. The team bans the posting of certain types of photos, even on personal pages, and also requires female cheerleaders to avoid all contact—in person and on social media—with players on the team. The Saints have no rules banning players from approaching or interacting with female cheerleaders. She’s filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commision, which enforces civil rights laws, claiming the Saints not only have two sets of rules—one for cheerleaders and another for players—but also outdated views when it comes to women. The New York Times has the full story.
Job well done: A school cafeteria worker from Baton Rouge who saw a police officer struggling with a suspect and helped the officer subdue him is one of 18 people being honored with Carnegie medals for heroism. The Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Hero Fund Commission announced the award winners today. Vickie Tillman stopped her car last year when she saw the officer struggling. The 5-foot-2-inch woman rushed to the man, removed the suspect’s hand from the officer’s holstered gun and held it behind his back. As the man continued to punch the officer, 56-year-old Tillman impeded his attack until other police officers arrived. The Hero Fund Commission has awarded nearly $40 million to 10,000 heroes or their families since 1904.
Here’s the pitch: Entrepreneurs who could use $1,000 are encouraged to pitch their business idea April 19 at PitchBR. The event is through the Small Business Innovation Research Consortium (SBIRC), a member organization associated with the Federal SBIR program that invests over $2 billion annually in small businesses. In addition to the publicity gained by presenting, PitchBR participants deliver an elevator speech to a panelist of entrepreneurs for the opportunity to win $1,000. Pitchers also receive audience and panelist feedback, coaching from prominent business consultants and connections to non-funding resources, such as professional services donors and providers. The event will be held at Sullivan’s, with networking beginning at 5 p.m. and pitches starting at 6 p.m. For more information or to submit a proposal pitch, contact SBIRC Chairman Andrew McCandless at inquire@sbirc.org. The deadline to submit is March 30.
