The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced Wednesday it has launched an investigation into Nike over programs that the agency alleges may have discriminated against white employees.
The EEOC said it had filed an action in federal court in Missouri to compel Nike to produce information related to “systemic race discrimination allegations,” including as a result of the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) targets in 2025 and other DEI-related initiatives, according to a news release. The move comes amid the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to crack down on DEI programs nationwide.
The EEOC also alleged that the footwear and apparel giant may have engaged in “a pattern or practice of disparate treatment against white employees, applicants and training program participants in hiring, promotion, demotion, or separation decisions, including selection for layoffs; internship programs; and mentoring, leadership development and other career development programs,” according to the agency’s court filing.
“When there are compelling indications, including corporate admissions in extensive public materials, that an employer’s 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—including subpoena enforcement actions—to ensure the opportunity to fully and comprehensively investigate,” EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said in a statement on Wednesday. “Title VII’s prohibition of race-based employment discrimination is colorblind and requires the EEOC to protect employees of all races from unlawful employment practices.”
“Thanks to President Trump’s commitment to enforcing our nation’s civil rights laws, the EEOC has renewed its focus on evenhanded enforcement of Title VII,” Lucas continued.
A Nike spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement on Wednesday that “this feels like a surprising and unusual escalation.”
“We have had extensive, good-faith participation in an EEOC inquiry into our personnel practices, programs, and decisions and have had ongoing efforts to provide information and engage constructively with the agency,” the Nike spokesperson said. “We have shared thousands of pages of information and detailed written responses to the EEOC’s inquiry and are in the process of providing additional information. Nike is a proud American company focused on bringing inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. As we enter an unprecedented season of sport in this country and around the world, this mission has renewed importance and urgency and it’s what we’re focused on.”
“We are committed to fair and lawful employment practices and follow all applicable laws, including those that prohibit discrimination,” the spokesperson continued. “We believe our programs and practices are consistent with those obligations and take these matters seriously. We will continue our attempt to cooperate with the EEOC and will respond to the petition.”
The EEOC did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
Nike has promoted DEI on its website, claiming that “bringing” its “mission to life” begins with “our people and creating a workforce that represents different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.”
Additionally, Lucas told The New York Times (NYT) in an interview published on Jan. 27 that she thinks the EEOC “is the tip of the spear for implementing a really ambitious civil rights agenda.”
“I think that that mission is to restore a focus on equality as opposed to equity,” she told the NYT. “It’s going back to the concept of equal treatment as opposed to equal outcomes.”
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