A former NBA and NFL cheerleader shares a contract rule that can’t be changed
A former NBA and NFL cheerleader who became a WWE superstar recently shared a strict rule that she and others in her position had to follow. Maxxine Dupri, whose real name is Sydney Zmrzel Luke, earned a WWE contract after impressing at a tryout in Las Vegas. Since then, she’s joined the WWE main roster and won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship by beating Becky Lynch last November.
Before her WWE journey, Dupri cheered for the Los Angeles Rams and the Phoenix Suns. She danced on the field and court on game days, but the Rams were very clear about one thing: cheerleaders weren’t allowed to spark any dating rumors or get too close to players through media or in person.
Talking on the IMPAULSIVE podcast with WWE star Logan Paul, Dupri explained, “We had media training for questions like ‘Who’s your favorite player?’ They didn’t want us to say someone’s name because then people might think we were dating them.” She said she enjoyed the job but did have to stick to this important rule.
When Paul asked if any players ever said hi to her, Dupri shared she wasn’t allowed to hang out or socialize with the players because it was against the contract. “Not really, no,” she said. “I was with my husband, but sometimes friends would hear about parties from others, but going to those was against the rules. You couldn’t hang out with NFL or NBA players.”
Dupri is happily married to WWE star Anthony Luke, though she admitted not all cheerleaders followed these rules exactly. For example, Camille Kostek, a former cheerleader for the New England Patriots, secretly dated star player Rob Gronkowski for many years before they went public.
Dupri said, “Camille is a great example, but they kept it a secret while she was a cheerleader. With the Rams, if someone found out, they’d be off the team. The Suns were a bit more relaxed.” She added that the Rams treated their cheerleaders very well, even making sure they had security when leaving the locker room, while the Suns didn’t even seem to notice their dance team much!