Sports

Tennessee Titans Sued By Former Employee For Being Fired After Contracting COVID-19

A sports field assistant says that he was told to self-quarantine, that he was a qualified employee, and that his rights under the FFCRA were violated.

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Former Tennessee Titans sports field assistant Paul Miller has filed a lawsuit against Tennessee Football, Inc., the corporate entity that owns the team. His claims relate to being fired after contracting coronavirus.

Specifically, Miller alleges in his complaint filed in the U.S. Middle District of Tennessee that the Titans violated the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 and the Fair Labor Standards Act when it terminated his employment. He says that his firing had nothing to do with a failure to perform his job duties, which included preparing the Titans’ practice and game field during the regular season.

The complaint indicates that Miller tested positive for COVID-19 on November 11, 2020, and was let go, through a phone call, on November 20, 2020. Miller says that the Titans were well aware of his diagnosis, as he had provided documentation and the team subsequently put him on paid sick leave pursuant to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

While FFCRA is no longer in effect, it was in place during the dates at issue in the complaint. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s website, “employers may not discharge, discipline, or otherwise discriminate against any employee who takes paid sick leave under the FFCRA and files a complaint or institutes a proceeding under or related to the FFCRA.”

Miller says that he was told to self-quarantine, that he was a qualified employee, and that his rights under the FFCRA were violated. Among his requested relief is an ask that he be reinstated to his position with the Titans, receive back pay, and be compensated liquidated damages as well as reimbursement of his attorney’s fees and costs.

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Darren Heitner is the founder of Heitner Legal. He is the author of How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, published by the American Bar Association, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. You can reach him by email at heitner@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @DarrenHeitner.

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