Stephen Miller is not, in any way, shape, or form a lawyer. It might seem weird that the former white nationalism consigliere to the Trump administration committed his post-White House career to play-acting as the wokeness ambulance chaser. But that’s because you’re not considering the fundraising opportunities of shamelessly newsjacking major events in a pathetic bid for donations.
He lodged a nonsense EEOC complaint against Macy’s in November to make sure his name appeared right next to “Macy’s” in Google searches right before the Thanksgiving parade. Frankly, it must have killed him that he’d already filed his EEOC complaint over gay Pop-Tarts before the world met this king…
(Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Anyway, now his America First Legal group is going after the NFL… is there some kind of football thing happening this week?
From Bloomberg:
America First Legal has requested a civil rights probe on the legality of a longstanding National Football League rule aimed at increasing diversity in teams’ coaching and management positions.
AFL wrote to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Tuesday, just days before the NFL’s Super Bowl, demanding agency commissioners investigate the NFL’s use of the “Rooney Rule.” It claims the rule results in fewer opportunities for non-minority candidates in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Yesterday, I flagged Bloomberg for falling victim to a objective journalism hack where bad actors can rely on outlets not to call out key context in reporting. While this article isn’t going to be as direct as we’ll be here at Above the Law, the “just days before the NFL’s Super Bowl” clause in there… well, we see that you see it too Bloomberg.
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Of course this is all about the Super Bowl. This tweeb knows that the rubes who send their hard-earned cash to America First Legal so Miller can sue law reviews on behalf of white students with bad grades will be all over the internet talking the details of a game they claimed they gave up when Colin Kaepernick was still playing. And somewhere amid all the bitching about Taylor Swift, some of those outrage-inclined viewers are going to stumble upon Miller’s name in connection with the NFL and get spoon-fed his fundraising pitch.
For non-football fans, the Rooney Rule that Miller blasts as illegal, is an entirely modest initiative requiring franchises to merely interview minority candidates for job openings. It’s not even an obligation to hire qualified minority applicants all else equal — it’s just you have to talk to them. But, since this requires white people to be in the same room with minorities, America First Legal thinks it’s illegal discrimination against white folks.
The thing is… the NFL is actually pretty bad at diversity. The Rooney Rule has proven remarkable successful as far as it goes, confirming that a good swath of employment discrimination in the country is a simple matter of never even considering minority candidates. Overall, including both head coaches and assistants, the NFL’s coaching ranks have grown more diverse since its institution.
That said, the Rule has hit roadblocks. Minnesota Vikings DC Brian Flores continues to fight against discrimination in the NFL having filed suit alleging in part that some franchises use Rooney Rule as a sham process dragging coaches through token interviews for jobs the teams have already mentally handed to some white coach.
The fact that it’s even possible for teams to use the Rooney Rule while systematically not hiring Black coaches should be the deathknell for Miller’s complaint, but he’s not a lawyer and this is a sad fundraising ploy.
Which, I suppose is for the best because he’s a lot better at fundraising than he is being a fake lawyer. Check out his issue-spotting skills:
Stephen Miller is melting down over the court denying Trump absolute immunity. pic.twitter.com/TfKy5vDqG1
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) February 6, 2024
RICO! Fabulous.
NFL Diversity ‘Rooney Rule’ Target of Trump Adviser’s Group [Bloomberg Law News]
Inside Brian Flores’ Fight Against Discrimination in the NFL [Time]
Earlier: Stephen Miller COINCIDENTALLY Lodges Complaint Against Macy’s On The One Week A Year When People Google ‘Macy’s’
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Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.