After his playing career ended, Ramzee Robinson spent nine years working for the Chiefs. In the aftermath of the termination of his employment, Robinson has sued the Chiefs.
PFT has obtained a copy of a lawsuit filed Monday by Robinson in a Missouri federal court.
The 11-page complaint accuses the Chiefs of wrongful discharge on the basis of race, retaliatory discharge arising from complaints regarding pay disparities and inequities based on race, and tortious interference with business expectancy.
Robinson worked as the team’s director of player engagement. He alleges that his pay fell behind comparable positions with other teams, and that team president Mark Donovan “rejected Plaintiff’s requests for a compensation review and/or salary increase.” Robinson also contends that the “KC Chiefs paid African-American business employees less than their white counterparts.”
On the last theory, Robinson claims that the Texans requested to interview Robinson, and that the Chiefs refused. They told the Texans an interview would violate Robinson’s contract.
The complaint doesn’t address the obvious question of whether the Chiefs were entitled to refuse permission under the tampering policy.
The Chiefs will have the right to respond to the complaint, either by answering the allegations or filing a motion to dismiss the case.
It’s also possible that Robinson’s contract contains an arbitration clause, given the habit of the NFL’s teams to push non-player legal claims into the secret, rigged kangaroo court presided over by the Commissioner. If so, look for the Chiefs to make an aggressive attempt to force Robinson’s case out of open court.
English (US) ·