{"id":1404334,"date":"2026-02-04T19:38:54","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T00:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/?p=1404334&preview=true&preview_id=1404334"},"modified":"2026-02-04T19:55:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T00:55:47","slug":"nike-discrimination-complaint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/04\/nike-discrimination-complaint\/","title":{"rendered":"Nike faces federal probe over allegations of \u2018DEI-related\u2019 discrimination against white workers"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ALEXANDRA OLSON and CLAIRE SAVAGE<\/strong><\/p>\n

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 The federal agency for protecting workers\u2019 civil rights revealed Wednesday that it is investigating sportswear giant Nike for allegedly discriminating against white employees through its diversity policies.<\/p>\n

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission disclosed the investigation in a motion filed in Missouri federal court demanding that Nike fully comply with a subpoena for information.<\/p>\n

The EEOC sought the company\u2019s criteria for selecting employees for layoffs, how it tracks and uses worker race and ethnicity data, and information about programs which allegedly provided race-restricted mentoring, leadership, or career development opportunities, according to court documents.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Nike said the company has worked to cooperate with the EEOC and the subpoena \u201cfeels like a surprising and unusual escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have shared thousands of pages of information and detailed written responses to the EEOC\u2019s inquiry and are in the process of providing additional information,\u201d Nike said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.\u201d<\/p>\n

EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas has moved swiftly to target diversity and inclusion policies<\/a> that she has long criticized as potentially discriminatory, tightly aligning the agency with one of President Donald Trump\u2019s top priorities.<\/p>\n

Nike appears to be the highest profile company the EEOC has targeted with a publicly confirmed, formal anti-DEI investigation. In November, the EEOC issued a similar subpoena against financial services provider Northwestern Mutual.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen there are compelling indications, including corporate admissions in extensive public materials, that an employer\u2019s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion-related programs may violate federal prohibitions against race discrimination or other forms of unlawful discrimination, the EEOC will take all necessary steps \u2014 including subpoena actions \u2014 to ensure the opportunity to fully and comprehensively investigate,\u201d Lucas said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\"FILE
FILE – Andrea Lucas, nominee to be a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing, June 18, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mariam Zuhaib, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The disclosure comes two months after Lucas posted a social media call-out urging white men to come forward<\/a> if they have experienced race or sex discrimination at work. The post urged eligible workers to reach out to the agency \u201cas soon as possible\u201d and referred users to the agency\u2019s fact sheet on DEI-related discrimination<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The investigation against Nike, however, does not stem from any worker complaint against the company. Rather, Lucas filed her own complaint in May 2024 through a more rarely used tool known as a commissioner\u2019s charge, according to the court documents. Her charge came just months after America First Legal, a conservative legal group founded by top Trump adviser Stephen Miller, sent the EEOC a letter<\/a> outlining complaints against Nike and urging the agency to file a commissioner\u2019s charge.<\/p>\n

America First Legal has flooded the EEOC with similar letters in recent years urging investigations into the DEI practices of major U.S. companies. It is unclear how many other companies the EEOC may be targeting through such commissioner\u2019s charges. The EEOC is prohibited from revealing any charge \u2014 by workers or commissioners \u2014 unless it results in fines, settlements, legal action or other such public actions.<\/p>\n

Lucas\u2019 charge, according to court filings, was based on Nike\u2019s publicly shared information about its commitment to diversity, including statements from executives and proxy statements. The charge, for example, cited Nike\u2019s publicly stated goal in 2021 of achieving 35% representation of racial and ethnic minorities in its corporate workforce by 2025.<\/p>\n