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1 Race @ Sports L. 1 (2022-2023)

handle is hein.journals/rcesptlw1 and id is 1 raw text is: VOLUME 1 - ISSUE 1 By Karina Jolly, MS & Michael S. Carroll, PhD avid Nakhid, a professional soc- cer player and professional coach, sued his former school, American University (AU), for racial discrimi- nation after he was not hired for the head coach position at his alma mater. The suit was brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 42 U.S.C.S. § 1981, which covers discrimination based on race, ethnic- ity, and national origin. AU denied any wrongdoing and stated that it declined to hire or even interview Nakhid based on the fact that he had no collegiate coaching experience, which was considered one of the es- sential qualifications for this particular position. AU ended up hiring Zach Samol, who had 18 years of collegiate coaching experience at the time. In 2020, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia granted summary judgment for AU, ruling that federal law did not grant protection to a non-citizen who was not living in the US. At the time Nakhid applied for the position, he was a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago and residing By Rachel Silverman, M.A. laintiffAlan Rodemaker began his career at Valdosta High School in 2010 as an assistant football coach and gym teacher. In 2016, he became the head football coach. In that same year the football team won the Georgia State Championship for Division 6A for the first time in eighteen years. They reached the state championship quarterfinals for two of the next three years. The Valdosta Board of Education renewed Rodemaker's teaching and coaching contract for ten years. How- ever, inJanuary2020, the school board voted 4-5 not to renew Rodemaker's contract, despite the recommendation to renew by the superintendent. The five black members of the board were the ones who voted not to renew the contract. The board members did not explain their decision. Due to a public outcry, the contract was up for a vote again at the February 2020 meeting. The board again voted 4-5 not to renew the contract, and the decision remained divided along racial lines. The plaintiff alleges that the school board chose to end his employment based on racial prejudice because he is white and those that voted against his contract are black. Rodemaker filed a Charge of Discrimination with the Equal Em- ployment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on April 24, 2020, and filed a second charge on July 15, 2020. On April 23, 2020, Rodemaker filed a lawsuit against Defendants Lee, Brown, Copyright © 2022 Hackney Publications (hackneypublications.com) WINTER 2022 RA CE andl SPORTS LA W