College Cheerleader Who Was Punished For Taking a Knee During Anthem Wins $145,000 Lawsuit

A Georgia college student has won a $145,000 lawsuit settlement after being punished for taking a knee in protest during the national anthem when she was a cheerleader at Kennesaw State University.

Kennesaw cheerleader filed lawsuit

In a lawsuit last year, Tommia Dean stated that her rights were violated by college and local officials after the cheerleaders had silently protested against police brutality during the national anthem at a football game in September 2017.

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick launched the protest movement in 2016 to raise awareness about racial inequality and police brutality.

Kennesaw State University Cheerleader Tommia Dean on The View (ABC/Video Screenshot)

Details of the complaint

In her complaint, Dean charged officials, specifically Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren and state Rep. Earl Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs, conspired against the cheerleaders by keeping them off the field during the anthem after the first protest.

Kennesaw cheerleader rights violated

After the kneeling protest, the cheerleaders, known as the Kennesaw Five, were not allowed on the field at the next game until after the national anthem played.

Officials of the state university system concluded just two month later, however, that the women had a constitutional right to protest and that Kennesaw should not have interfered unless their actions caused a disruption.

A representative of Georgia’s Department of Administrative Services and Dean — a senior at Kennesaw who is no longer a cheerleader — signed the lawsuit settlement agreement for $145,000 in October, according to the Marietta Daily Journal, which obtained a copy of the agreement.

Another protesting cheerleader, Shlondra Young, told a local news station about the action in 2017: “We definitely knew that it was going to be something that got attention. And we wanted that attention to make sure we made our statement and that our voices were heard.”