In a bid to remain ever creepy, the owner of the Lingerie Football League has invited Paris Jackson to be the spokesperson for its new youth division. He’s also pissed off a lot of his adult players.
Last week, the LFL announced its intention to start a youth league because “younger and younger girls are starting to dream of playing LFL football.” The announcement mentioned Paris Jackson and her desire to play football at her school — now, league owner Mitchell S. Mortaza has reached out to her directly. According to TMZ, Mortaza wrote to Jackson through her rep:
It was recently brought to the attention of the Lingerie Football League LLC offices that Ms. Paris Jackson has a strong interest in the game of football and that she plans on competing within the boys team due to a lack of options for competitive female football. […]
We at the LFL would like to invite Paris to become the spokesperson for the LFL’s youth program and perhaps start training for a future football career in the LFL when she reaches the age of 18 yr old.
What’s creepier than starting a youth league to prepare little girls to be lingerie football players? Identifying the specific underage girls (children of celebrities, natch) that you’d like to see play in underwear one day! To be fair to Mortaza, we know this isn’t really about seeing Paris in a bra — it’s about getting a famous kid to endorse his super-weird idea.
Mortaza’s management savvy has also been on display in his dealings with LFL team Toronto Triumph. Players tell the Toronto Star that they were forced to play with substandard and ill-fitting gear, including a hockey helmet made into a football, and coaches who didn’t know how to play the game. Players requested that their defensive coordinator, a former Canadian Football League player, be made their head coach. Instead, the head coach fired the coordinator, and four players were released from their contracts as well. Sixteen more players soon resigned.
Mortaza says they left because of “sour grapes” and adds, “most of these women have never touched a football prior. Now they’re critiquing on who’s qualified to coach football. It’s almost laughable.” But in an email to Mortaza requesting the reinstatement of the coordinator, one player wrote,
You speak of a team that ‘is committed to one common goal, preparation for greatness.’ I couldn’t agree more, Mitch. I played volleyball at the rep level, rugby and bball at the varsity level, javelin at the national level and received my pro card for body building. Trust me, I know how to win and what it takes.
She, at least, appears committed to taking lingerie football seriously as a sport. Mortaza claims he is too. But if that’s true, he needs to make sure his players have proper gear and good coaching. And he needs to quit the publicity stunts with thirteen-year-old girls.
MJ’s 13-Year-old Daughter RECRUITED By Lingerie Football League [TMZ]
20 Leave Toronto Lingerie Football Team In Dispute Over Safety, Coaching [Toronto Star]