Prosecution alleges GM Gaine, a Texan, targets black employees

A former employee of the Houston Texans filed a federal lawsuit against the team for discrimination, alleging that Brian Gaine, as chief executive, had targeted the dismissal of African-American employees.

Texans deny the allegation

Jeff Pope, coordinator of Texan security for two years, lodged a complaint with the Commission for Equal Opportunities in Employment.

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He was fired by the Texans on May 8th.

Sheath was sacked last Friday.

<p class = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "" We have just read M. Pope's Claim , said the Texans in a statement the Houston Chronicle& nbsp; Wednesday evening. "We do not comment on ongoing litigation. Houston Texans tolerate no personal or professional discrimination. "" Data-reactid = "31"> "We've just seen Pope's complaint," the Texans said in a statement to the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday. "We are not commenting on the ongoing litigation Houston Texans tolerate no personal or professional discrimination."

Amy Palcic, vice president of Texan Communications, said Pope's trial had not played a role in dismissing Gaine.

"We claim that it was on the basis of race"

Through the media guide of the 2018 team, Pope, a black race, joined Houston as an intern in 2016. In 2017, he was appointed security coordinator.

As such, he worked with the Director of Security to "implement security policies and procedures for all club events, including training, team travel, stadium safety and all aspects of the game. of the day.

The pope first worked with Vice President of Security, Emmett Baylor III. Baylor, who is also black, joined the Texans at the helm of security in 2012 but was replaced last year.

Pope's lawyer, N. Lucy Chukwurah, explained why the decision was made to file a complaint.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = ""My client was fired. we claim that it was clearly on the basis of Mr. Gaine's race, which was recently fired by the Texans, "said Chukwurah. "My client was compensated. He came to me to negotiate and asked if he should sign it. I found that there was more there. I was wondering why he was offered severance pay."data-reactid =" 38 ">"My client was fired. we claim that it was clearly on the basis of Mr. Gaine's race, which was recently fired by the Texans, "said Chukwurah. "My client was compensated. He came to me to negotiate and asked if he should sign it. I found that there was more there. I was wondering why he was offered severance pay.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = ""We discussed his options and filed the EEOC's discrimination complaint. Previously, we had contacted the Texans to negotiate and at least to give him a fair severance pay. They refused to engage in this process."data-reactid =" 39 ">"We discussed his options and filed the EEOC's discrimination complaint. Previously, we had contacted the Texans to negotiate and at least to give him a fair severance pay. They refused to engage in this process.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = ""I was going to handle this in the same way as most of my requests: quietly. When the Texans fired Mr. Gaine, it caught my attention. They fired him a few days after talking to their lawyer. I found it unusual."data-reactid =" 40 ">"I was going to handle this in the same way as most of my requests: quietly. When the Texans fired Mr. Gaine, it caught my attention. They fired him a few days after talking to their lawyer. I found it unusual.

Pope stated that the reason he was fired was his lack of experience in law enforcement. Prior to joining the Texans, he had been a recruiting assistant for the University of Houston football team and had worked at Rice University as an account / ticket sales executive.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Bethune-Cookman, where he was a member of the football team for four years and twice a team captain; Pope also holds a Masters of Sport Management from Lasell College.

"It was aimed at all minorities in the direction"

In his lawsuit, Pope listed eight other black employees that Gaine dismissed during his 17 months as general manager.

<p class = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "" It appeared, and I believe, that it was aimed at all minorities in leadership positions and was to be replaced by non-Americans of African descent. ", he said," & nbsp;The pope wrote& nbsp; in the complaint. "data-reactid =" 45 ">" It seemed, and I believe, that it was aimed at all minorities in positions of responsibility and that he was about to replace them with non-Afro- Americans. What he did, "wrote in the complaint.

The Texans Media Guide 2017 lists several black men in senior positions: Rick Smith, Executive Vice President of Football Operations and Managing Director; Jimmy Raye III, Vice President of Player Personnel and Assistant to the General Manager; Jon Carr, Director of University Screening; Larry Wright, Assistant Director of Professional Staff; Mike Martin, Assistant Director of University Scouting; and Frantzy Jourdain, national scout. Baylor, the vice president of security, also held a senior position.

None of these men are with the Texans today.

Currently, C. J. Leak, deputy director of professional staff, is the highest-ranking African-American in the Texan front office.

"In short, all African Americans in the building realized that few of us could get together or be seen interacting with each other, even during lunch, because it did not look good for them. powers in place, "Pope said. discriminated against and terminated on the basis of my race and color. "

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