Former Kennesaw State cheerleader Tommia Dean just got a huge payday.
In 2017, Tommia and four of her teammates decided to kneel during the playing of the national anthem at a KSU football game in protest of police brutality. The school responded by not allowing the cheerleaders to take the field during the national anthem for several subsequent games, a decision that reportedly came down from not only the university's president, but the county sheriff as well.
The girls weren't allowed back on the field during the anthem until the University System of Georgia later determined that their protests were protected under the First Amendment.
Refusing to take this lying down, Tommia sued Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs,) Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren, former KSU President Sam Olens and Senior Associate Athletic Directors Matt Griffin and Scott Whitlock for violating her civil rights.
After more than a year of litigation, the case was settled out of court for a total of $145,000; $93,000 going to Tommia and the rest going to her attorneys.
Comments