The highest prosecutors in the states of New York and California have launched an investigation into allegations of discrimination against the National Football League (NFL), the most popular sports federation in the United States.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the investigation Thursday, following a series of allegations of discrimination against the league in lawsuits and media reports.
“No one should ever experience harassment, discrimination or objectification in the workplace,” said James. “No matter how powerful or influential, no institution is above the law and we will make sure the NFL is held accountable.”
In paired press releases, James and Bonta both noted that more than 1,000 NFL employees work in offices in their two states.
My office and @AGRob Bonta launch an investigation into the @NFL due to allegations of employment discrimination and a hostile work environment.
No matter how powerful or influential, no organization is above the law.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) May 4, 2023
“California does not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” Bonta said. “We are deeply concerned about the NFL’s role in creating an extremely hostile and harmful work environment. No company is too big or too popular not to be held accountable for their actions.”
The announcement cites a February 2022 New York Times article in which more than 30 female former employees alleged discrimination at the NFL and retaliation for human resource complaints.
Prosecutors also pointed to several recent lawsuits, including one filed by Jennifer Love, a former senior executive in the company’s media division, alleging she was fired in retaliation for complaints about the league’s “boys club” mentality.
They also referenced a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by a black female employee and a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a female wardrobe stylist.
.@NewYorkStateAG and I are investigating allegations of workplace discrimination and a hostile work environment at the @NFL.
California does not tolerate any form of discrimination.
No company is too big not to be held accountable for its actions. https://t.co/n9sNlXPRjU pic.twitter.com/0zRIEO4SU0
— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) May 4, 2023
“Despite reports and allegations of abuse by both players and male staff, allegations that the NFL has not taken effective measures to prevent discrimination, harassment and retaliation in the workplace continue,” James and Bonta said in their statements.
Last year, James and Bonta were among five attorneys general who called on the league to address gender discrimination. A US Congressional committee also launched an investigation last year into allegations of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct within the league.
Alleged discrimination against the NFL was further highlighted last year when former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a high-profile lawsuit.
Flores, a black man, was let go despite leading the team through two winning seasons, although the Dolphins failed to make the playoffs during his tenure. Flores alleged “systemic racism” in the NFL, likening the league to a “plantation” where “the owners watch the games from the top of NFL stadiums in their luxury boxes while their majority-black workforce puts their bodies on the line every Sunday sets”.
Critics have long pointed to the lack of diversity among the upper echelons of NFL coaches, despite the fact that about 71 percent of NFL players identified as races other than white by 2021, according to data from the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in 2021. Sports at the University of Central Florida.
In response to the latest investigations in New York and California, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement to Reuters news agency that the allegations of bias and harassment were inconsistent with the league’s values and practices, but that it would cooperate with the investigation. .
“The NFL is committed to ensuring that all league employees are respected, treated fairly, and receive fair pay and access to development opportunities,” said McCarthy.
Questions of race and power also surfaced in 2016, when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick protested police brutality and racial discrimination by kneeling instead of standing during the traditional pregame performance of the national anthem.
Other players soon followed suit in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. While the league initially moved to penalizing players who kneeled, it later made a complete U-turn on the matter, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying in 2020, “We were wrong.”
However, Kaepernick was not signed by any of the NFL teams the following season, leading to allegations of retaliation. He and fellow player Eric Reid filed complaints against the league, leading to a confidential settlement in 2019.