By Douglas Ernst - The Washington Times - Thursday, March 29, 2018

The Los Angeles Rams will enter rare NFL territory this coming season with the introduction of male cheerleaders.

Professional gridiron battles have primarily been cheered from the sidelines by a bevy of beautiful female dancers, but the 2018 NFL season will include two men from California. The Rams announced the new recruits — Quinton Peron and Napolean Jinnies — this week in conjunction with an exclusive for ABC News.

“I’ve choreographed for girls who danced on pro teams. I’ve danced with girls on various pro teams, so I thought: ’Why not me? Why can’t I do this?’ And called my friend and I asked her when auditions were for the Rams and she told me Sunday [March 11] and I showed up,” Mr. Peron told “Good Morning America” on Wednesday.

“[The auditions] were unlike anything I’ve ever been to,” added Mr. Jinnies. “I’m used to getting a call after or an email. This one was about three weeks long and we had a bunch of rehearsals in between and an extensive interview process, but it was really humbling and amazing to be invited every time you came back.”

The story was not with out controversy. Mark Zinno, whose resume includes cheerleading duties with the Baltimore Ravens, protested ABC’s framing of the story as an NFL milestone.

“This is a false statement. The @Ravens have had male cheerleaders since 1998,” he tweeted. “I was one of them! Give credit to those guys as ’trailblazers’ … we were the first. Sorry, @RamsNFL … ’If you’re not first, your last.’”

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Mr. Zinno also countered critics who said the Ravens likely needed him for his muscular figure instead of his dance skills.

“Yeah … been there done that,” he tweeted. “Danced with the girls and was the top of a pyramid. That’s what cheerleaders do. But apparently, @GMA doesn’t recognize the @Ravens cheerleaders as such. #wewerefirst.”

The Rams’ rookie male cheerleaders competed against hundreds of hopefuls vying for one of 40 positions.

• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.

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