The NFL’s Summer of Law, Part II got a relatively late start. But the sequel is picking up steam.
Last month, former Raiders scouts Jon Kingdon and Bruce Kebric sued the team for age discrimination. Both were relieved of their duties in the days following the 2012 draft. The lawsuit was filed in Alameda County Superior Court.
Kingdon spent 33 years with the Raiders. He held the position of college scouting director at the time of his termination.
“The Oakland Raiders have a long history of being an equal opportunity employer, without regard to race, gender, or age,” the Raiders said in a statement issued to PFT. “These claims of age discrimination are meritless.”
Federal and state law protects employees over the age of 40 from adverse employment action. Employers rarely admit to discriminatory motivations; when it comes to age discrimination, the proof often comes from public or private comments reflecting a desire to go younger, which in many instances also means going cheaper.
When it comes to coaching and front-office jobs in the NFL, those types of statements emerge from time to time, but lawsuits rarely are filed -- primarily because those who would file suit become concerned about their ability to be hired by one of the other 31 teams.