Lingerie-Clad Football Player Melissa Berry Sues Over Nude Photos

The situation between one Miss Melissa J. Berry and her "healthy relationships" expert ex-boyfriend is one that can only make you smile and shake your head. Berry, a 24-year-old model and rookie linebacker of the Lingerie Football League, is obviously used to running around in her underwear and being stared at by millions. However, she is suing her ex-boyfriend, Mark C. Dawson, 45, for posting nude and intimate photos of her on the Internet and sending them to her mother and friends, according to Tampa Bay Online .

Berry stated that Dawson "should know better" as he describes himself, on his Web site , as an expert on relationships and one who has studied "success, performance and human behavior for over 25 years."

"This is nothing but an ex-girlfriend trying to cause problems. For her to say that these pictures were taken against her knowledge is untrue because she is smiling in them," Dawson replied, according to Tampa Bay Online.

Dawson stated that Berry posed for the pictures and that the accusations of him making them public are untrue.

In the lawsuit, Berry said that Dawson took the photos using his cell phone and that she never agreed to have the photos shown to anyone else. Not long after the photos were taken, the couple broke up. Allegedly, Dawson approached several of Berry's friends and showed them the pictures. Horrified, Berry approached Dawson and destroyed the phone, unaware that he had downloaded copies of the photos from the phone.

The lawsuit states that Dawson sent Berry's mother an electronic message stating that if Berry didn't give him the money to replace his phone, he would make the photos public. After Berry refused, Dawson, or someone else acting for him, posted the photos to MySpace and e-mailed them to Berry's mother.

Despite the glaring fact that Berry is a member in good standing of the Lingerie Football League, she is still entitled to her privacy. What's more disturbing is the fact that her photo-sharing-ex is a man who, according to the Tampa Bay Tribune's review of his website, "leaves a lasting impression," and "devotes much of his time to speaking to college and high school students about issues of dating, relationships, consent and sexual assault awareness and education."

Berry is a member of the popular Lingerie Football League, which developed from the Lingerie Bowl. The Lingerie Bowl is a pay-per-view alternative half-time special that first aired during Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004. The players in the game are models wearing lingerie and a little padding. Needless to say, millions of men the world over were impressed and the 10 team League was born in 2008.

With teams with names like "Atlanta Steam," "San Diego Seduction" and Melissa Berry's team "Tampa Breeze," it's obvious that football is still not the main focus of the League. The women will still be scantily clad, but the difference is, they will have been attending classes since May to learn how to really play the game. Next year, the lingerie-clad teams will play a 10-game regular season on Friday nights.

Tom Brennan and Samara Sodos, Lingerie Bowl Player Sues Ex-Boyfriend Over Nude Pictures, The Tampa Tribune

Keith Morelli, Lingerie Football League Has Tryouts for Tampa Team, The Tampa Tribune

Lingerie Bowl Official Website