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The feds are coming for Nike\u2019s diversity programs. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed court papers Wednesday demanding the sportswear giant hand over records about alleged discrimination against white workers.<\/p>\n
EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas<\/a> launched the investigation herself last year.<\/p>\n She claims Nike\u2019s diversity goals might violate federal law by creating bias against white employees in hiring and promotions. The agency wants Nike\u2019s layoff criteria from 2018 forward. <\/p>\n They\u2019re also demanding details about 16 programs that allegedly gave race-restricted mentoring and leadership opportunities to workers.<\/p>\n \u201cTitle VII\u2019s prohibition of race-based employment discrimination is colorblind,\u201d Lucas said in a statement. \u201cThe EEOC will take all necessary steps to ensure the opportunity to fully investigate.\u201d<\/p>\n Nike<\/a> pushed back hard against the federal demands. The company called the subpoena enforcement action \u201ca surprising and unusual escalation\u201d in court filings.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have shared thousands of pages of information and detailed written responses,\u201d Nike said in a statement.<\/a> \u201cWe are in the process of providing additional information.\u201d<\/p>\n Nike\u2019s legal team previously called the subpoena \u201coverbroad, unduly burdensome, vague, ambiguous, and disproportionate.\u201d The company has been fighting the federal requests for months.<\/p>\n The investigation stems from Nike\u2019s public diversity commitments after George Floyd\u2019s death in 2020. The company set goals to reach 35% representation of racial minorities in its corporate workforce by 2025.<\/p>\n Nike also tied executive compensation to diversity objectives. Leaders got bonuses for increasing women in leadership positions and hitting minority representation targets at the director level and above.<\/p>\n Are you a white male who has experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex? The EEOC is committed to identifying, attacking, and eliminating ALL race\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/BYjbld5zdv<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas (@andrealucasEEOC) December 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/d##> Lucas filed her discrimination charge in May 2024 when she was still a commissioner. The charge came after America First Legal, Stephen Miller\u2019s conservative group, urged the EEOC to investigate Nike\u2019s diversity practices.<\/p>\n Lucas posted on social media in December, urging white men to file discrimination complaints. The post<\/a> directed workers to contact the agency \u201cas soon as possible\u201d about DEI-related bias.<\/p>\n The Trump administration has made attacking DEI programs a top priority. President Donald Trump campaigned against diversity initiatives for creating \u201canti-white feeling\u201d in workplaces.<\/a><\/p>\n On his first day back in office, Trump moved to wipe out DEI programs across the federal government and the military. He\u2019s also threatening to strip billions in federal funding from universities with diversity programs.<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n
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You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws. Contact the @USEEOC<\/a> as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
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