His review was glowing - until he raised concerns about how Black staff got disciplined
A former Jacksonville Jaguars digital and social media director says the club downgraded his review score and fired him after he flagged racial bias.
In a complaint filed September 8, 2026 in the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the former director claims the Jaguars discriminated against him because he is Black and retaliated after he pushed back on unequal treatment of Black and White staff. He brings claims under a federal civil-rights statute, Title VII, and the Florida Civil Rights Act.
He joined the club as director of digital and social media in February 2021. According to the filing, his 2023 review averaged 4.8 out of 5, with top marks in several categories, and a manager called him a “driving force” and a “key asset.” Two years later, he was out.
The dispute the complaint describes will read as familiar to anyone who owns discipline decisions. In August 2024, the filing says, his supervisor proposed a lighter “Memo to File” for a White social media manager’s performance and behavioral concerns, while suggesting a Black specialist be placed on a more serious performance improvement plan, or PIP - a formal disciplinary plan. He objected, the complaint says, and argued both employees should be judged by the same standard.
After that, the complaint alleges, the scrutiny shifted to him. His 2024 year-end score fell to 2.0 out of 5. The filing says he was marked down in the “Respect” category and on his “ability to articulate,” and links that criticism to a Microsoft Teams message he sent a colleague. He filed a written rebuttal with the club’s senior HR leader that November.
The pattern continued into 2025, according to the filing. He alleges he was cut out of a key NFL draft chat in April and replaced by a White subordinate who reported to him - the same week his platforms ranked No. 1 among NFL clubs for follower growth and video views.
On April 28, 2025, the complaint says, he told a senior marketing executive that the department was crediting White employees’ complaints and holding Black staff to a tougher line. He contrasted that, the filing states, with the club’s failure to discipline a White manager who allegedly told the director’s team to “suck it” during a meeting.
Seven days later, the Jaguars fired him. The complaint says a chief operating officer cited “six months of problems,” and that the club’s chief legal officer told him the club wanted him to “feel like you have the opportunity to grow and work with the people you like.” He had never been placed on a PIP or given a written warning, the filing says. The White manager at the center of the discipline dispute was retained and promoted, according to the complaint.
The filing also alleges the club later pointed to a departmental restructuring and performance concerns to explain the firing, even though, it says, no restructuring came up during the termination meeting - and he knew of no other position in the department that was eliminated.
For HR teams, the questions the case turns on are everyday ones: whether comparable conduct drew comparable discipline, whether a review score can be traced back to a specific complaint, whether a rebuttal went anywhere, and whether a termination followed a documented process or landed cold. The former director first raised his claims with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September 2025, the filing says; the agency issued a notice of right to sue in June 2026.
None of the allegations have been tested in court, and no judge has ruled on the claims.
