Tepper Sports & Entertainment, the company that runs both the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC, is staring down an unusual lawsuit. Former pro soccer player Dustin Swinehart just hit them with a claim of gender discrimination, saying his firing was all about different internal standards for men and women.
An Email, A Firing, And “Being Kind”
Swinehart, who used to be the director of community engagement at Charlotte FC, claims he got axed after a “supervisory lapse” at a youth camp. He says a colleague sent an email to a local family about it. But here’s the kicker: Swinehart contends that TSE Chief Human Resource Officer Kisha Smith fired him for “insubordination” because she had told him not to contact the family by email. His response? “I got fired for being kind, and I got fired for an email that I didn’t send,” Swinehart told Matt Moret of The Athletic. “And that’s really tough. That’s really sad.”
Different Rules for Different Folks?
He’s not just talking about one email, though. In his lawsuit, Swinehart alleges that female employees at TSE engaged in misconduct that went totally unpunished. It paints a picture of a company with different rules depending on who you are. A spokesperson for Tepper Sports & Entertainment told Moret they know about the lawsuit, but they’re staying tight-lipped, declining to comment on active litigation.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Leave a Reply