BUFFALO, N.Y. >> Five former Buffalo Bills cheerleaders are suing the team, saying they weren’t paid for their time at games or mandatory public appearances that left them open to groping and sexual comments.

The lawsuit is the third filed this year against a National Football League team by its cheerleaders. The Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals also have pending wage battles.

Two members of the Buffalo Jills squad held a news conference Tuesday with their attorney, Frank Dolce. They say they were wrongly classified as independent contractors by Stejon Productions, which manages the Jills and failed to pay them for hundreds of hours of work.

Their lawsuit seeks back pay and “other damages as allowed by law.”

A Bills spokesman says the team doesn’t comment on pending litigation. Stejon Productions hasn’t responded to a request for comment.