The NFL’s controversial new anti-discrimination policy is causing controversy in a new arena: lawyers.
The NFL has been fighting lawsuits brought by players and fans for years, with some teams suing the league over discrimination and other teams defending it.
In a lawsuit filed last week in federal court in Washington, D.C., attorneys for the NFL’s owners argued the policy violates the Constitution by “denying equal protection of the laws to all citizens.”
The plaintiffs in the case are players, fans, the league and other sports leagues.
They say the policy, which is in place for now but could be expanded in the future, prevents them from receiving the protections guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution, including equal protection under the law.
“The NFL is denying equal protection to all its players and employees and discriminating against its fans based on their race, sex, national origin, gender, disability, age, religion, and other protected characteristics,” the lawyers wrote.
“It is a racist and anti-American policy that violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
The owners’ suit, filed in the U-S District Court for the District of Columbia, is similar to the one that the NFL filed against the Washington Redskins in 2015.
In that case, the NFL also said the policy violated the U, T, and U+S laws.
In that case as well, the players were awarded millions of dollars in compensatory damages and other awards from the Redskins.