Baltimore Ravens cheerleader Courtney Lenz has claimed that
she was kept home from the Superbowl because she gained 1.6 lbs. Lenz, a
five-year veteran of the team, is 23 and has been cheering for the Ravens since
she was 18. She was the only 3+ year veteran of the team to not be chosen to
head to the big game this Sunday, and she says it’s because of the weight gain.
“They’ve been really hard on me this year since I told them
I was leaving,” says
Lenz, who graduated from college and recently landed a full-time marketing job.
She told her team earlier in the season that this would be her last. “I was the
only three-plus year veteran that [is] not going. I immediately thought it was
a mistake,” she adds.
Lenz also claims that this season she has been disciplined
for her weight gain. The team required her to see a nutritionist and a
counselor at her own expense. The 125-pound cheerleader says her coaches wanted
her to get down to 120.
In a statement to ABCNews.com, Ravens spokeswoman Heather
Harness said, “As set by the NFL, we are permitted to bring 32 cheerleaders to
the Super Bowl. Our selection process was based upon three criteria: seniority,
performance ability and personal conduct throughout the season. As much as we
would like to take the whole team, we are unable to do so, due to parameters
set by the NFL.”
“The last straw had to come from the weight,” Lenz said in
an interview with Good Morning America. “They said I had… a rough year. They
had to take disciplinary action, and being that I was benched for my weight.” According
to Lenz, this was her only discipline throughout the entire season.
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