NFL preseason games are often the best place for a team to debut new plays or new personnel — and that includes in the ranks of cheerleading squads.
The New Orleans Saints did just that during Friday night’s tilt against the Arizona Cardinals at the Mercedes-Benz Superdom, debuting the first male cheerleader in Saintstations history when 25-year-old Jesse Hernandez joined his female squad-mates. Hernandez, the son of a dance teacher, has been dancing since he was just two years old.
Hernandez stood out from the rest of the Saintstations, as he cheered without pompoms and wore a white and black T-shirt with a black fleur-de-lis on the chest instead of the standard Saints cheerleading dresses. But he synchronized smoothly in the dance movements to the Fleur East song “Sax,” and on a mix of songs including Calvin Harris’ “Let’s Go” and Sam Sparro’s “Black & Gold,” according to a reporter for the New Orleans Advocate in attendance.
As historic as Hernandez’s debut may seem, he isn’t the first male cheerleader in NFL history. Los Angeles Rams dancers Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies broke that barrier when they were hired in March.
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