‘Cheer’ Coach Monica Aldama Says Lawsuit Accusing Her of Burying Sexual Assault Claims Has Been Dismissed
Monica Aldama, the cheerleading coach from Netflix‘s docuseries Cheer, has revealed that a lawsuit accusing her of covering up sexual assault has been dismissed.
The lawsuit stemmed from a cheerleader who claimed that Aldama, squad members, and school staff at Navarro College discouraged her from filing a report after she says she was sexually assaulted by a team member during her first semester.
She also claimed that Aldama told her, “If you keep quiet, I’ll make sure you can cheer anywhere you want.”
Aldama denied the accusations at the time and has now revealed that the lawsuit against her has been dropped. On Saturday, November 11, the coach shared a lengthy Instagram post where she opened up about what she’s been dealing with for the past six months.
“It’s 10:00 pm and I am just finding my voice today. I have been at a loss for words since 9:00 am this morning,” she wrote. “Today I have cried, I’ve laughed, I’ve felt incredible relief, but I have also been somewhat consumed by sadness and anger.”
She continued, “This morning at about 9:00 am, USA Cheer, the organization that is the national governing body of the sport I have given my heart and soul to for decades, sent my attorney an email informing him that the allegations that were made against me were being dismissed and the complaint against me at USA Cheer were being closed.”
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Aldama also shared the letter of dismissal before going on to talk about the toll the accusation has taken on her. She also claimed it took USA Cheer six months to interview her as part of the investigation.
“The real problem was during that six month delay, I was broken, a shell of myself,” she explained. “Navarro Cheer members were constantly attacked online. I was constantly attacked. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, and most of the time it was hard to even breathe.”
She concluded, “Moving forward, we must all do better. We are all acutely aware of concerning issues in cheer. Those issues need to be dealt with. Our athletes deserve to be listened to. They deserve to be believed. However, participants caught up in matters such as these, specifically coaches, need to be treated with respect and fairness as well.”
Cheer premiered on Netflix in January 2020 and followed the Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team as they prepared to compete in the National Cheerleading Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida.
