CHARLOTTE, N.C. - One of the two former Carolina Panthers cheerleaders arrested during the weekend in a Tampa nightclub denies the pair was having sex in a restroom stall, her lawyer said Tuesday.
Renee Thomas [pictured right] and Angela Keathley, both TopCats at the time, were arrested early Sunday after a fight that began when they emerged from the same stall at Banana Joe's, a popular Tampa nightclub.
Police said witnesses told them the women were having sex and others waiting to use the bathroom became angry because the pair was in the stall so long. Another woman told the Charlotte Observer she was in the bathroom and doesn't believe the women were having sex.
Thomas punched a woman in the face during the fight, Tampa police said.
The Panthers have fired Thomas, a dance major at UNC Charlotte, and Keathley, a nurse at Carolinas Medical Center. The hospital has put Keathley on administrative leave without pay, a spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Penthouse magazine is trying to convince them to pose nude.
Kathleen Berzon, a spokeswoman for the adult publication, said the magazine is "working very diligently to achieve its goal of shooting a nude pictorial" of the former cheerleaders. She would not say how much money the magazine had offered the women.
On Tuesday, Tampa police issued a warrant for Thomas. She has already been charged with battery, but since her release prosecutors added charges of presenting a false driver's license and giving a false name, causing harm to another - a third-degree felony.
When she was arrested, police said, Thomas gave the name and driver's license of another Panthers cheerleader.
The Observer could not reach Thomas or Keathley for comment.
Peter Anderson, Thomas' attorney, issued a statement Tuesday:
"This was an unfortunate incident which has generated numerous rumors and inaccurate facts. Miss Thomas denies all allegations of any sexual conduct. Miss Thomas apologizes to everyone affected by the incident including the Carolina Panthers, the City of Charlotte, Ms. Holden and the Tampa Police Department."
Melissa Holden is the woman whom police say Thomas punched. She has a black eye.
Another woman, Jennifer Chaconas, told the Charlotte Observer on Tuesday that she was in the bathroom and believes the cheerleaders were not having sex. She said she could tell the women were dressed and the brunette - later identified as Keathley - told the angry crowd her friend was having a problem. Chaconas assumed Thomas was sick from drinking too much, she said.
"They are in enough trouble," she said. "I don't want them getting smeared."
Three other witnesses told police they believed the women were engaged in sexual activity.
