Dawgs By Nature
The litigation makes a lot of claims
The Kansas City Chiefs are being sued by one of their former workers. Disgruntled ex-employees are nothing new, but this situation goes pretty deep.
Ramzee Robinson was the Chiefs’ Director of Player Engagement, a position responsible for supporting players’ well-being and development both on and off the field. Robinson is a former NFL player himself having played cornerback for the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, and Denver Broncos. He then finished out his playing career for two seasons in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
In the 2007 NFL draft, Robinson was named Mr. Irrelevant as he was the final pick by the Lions.
Robinson is suing the Chiefs for wrongful termination, filing this week in an 11-page complaint in the United States Court for the Western District of Missouri - Western Division. The core of the lawsuit claims racial discrimination.
RELATED: COMPLETE COMPLAINT ROBINSON V CHIEFS
According to Robinson’s complaint, there are several issues. He was let go this past February, six days after the Super Bowl loss.
For one, he is stating that black employees of the Chiefs are paid less than their white counterparts. Secondly, there is a videotape that accuses Robinson of acts against a female office worker, and the Chiefs fired him without allowing him to see the video evidence. Another claim is that another NFL team, the Houston Texans, wanted to interview him for an open position, but the Chiefs halted that process.
The lawsuit is seeking an unspecified number of damages, but the docket includes a demand for $5 million. In a nutshell, Robinson is suing for racial discrimination, team retaliation, and tortious interference with business expectancy in regards to the interference with the Texans’ interview.
In regard to the claim that black employees are passed over or paid less, the suit gives an example of a black female employee who was paid $50,000 a year and was refused a promotion. After she resigned, a white female, Melissa Weinsz, who is a Ph.D., replaced her at a rate of $80,000 a year.
When asked for a comment on the suit by Pro Football Talk, Chiefs V.P. of football communications Brad Gee stated what is pretty much a standard response in these situations:
“We can’t comment because it’s an active legal matter. But to be clear, the Chiefs do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We look forward to the facts of this case coming to light.”
Robinson entered the league in Round 7, after playing cornerback at Alabama with 50 games played. He graduated with a degree in business management. After his pro career ended, he earned a master’s degree in professional counseling from Webster University. He is currently a doctoral candidate at The Chicago School in Applied Behavior Analysis.
After two seasons with Detroit, he signed a one-year deal with the Eagles but was released towards the end of the 2009 season after playing three games. The Browns claimed him off...
