Jalen Carter, Brian Flores, Jerry Jones, NFL Films Lawsuit, & F1 Contract Drama

Welcome back to THE Sports Law Podcast! This is your one-stop-shop for all things sports law. For this episode, the production team Mike Lawson (@Mike_sonof_Law), Justin Mader (@MaderLaw), and Zach Bryson (@ZacharySBryson) take the lead to give you the biggest sports law stories.

Jalen Carter returned to the NFL combine after returning to Georgia to answer for the arrest warrant in connection with a deadly car crash that occurred back in January 2023. (3:07) The warrant was out for Carter for reckless driving and racing, a misdemeanor that can carry up to 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine. It is unsure whether this will have an affect on Carter's draft stock which puts him as high as the number one pick in this years NFL draft.

A Texas appeals court reinstated a case against Jerry Jones after it found that the district court abused its discretion in dismissing the case. (12:58) The appeals court found that the plaintiff, J.G., acted in good faith to amend part of her pleadings to fit with a court order. J.G. claims Jones “kissed her on the mouth and forcibly grabbed her without her consent.” The suit also includes the Cowboy organization as she claims that team officials “knew or should have known of Jones’s misconduct.”

A former NFL Films employee, Victoria Russell, has brought an employee discrimination case against the company. (17:53) She alleges that she was denied a dedicated workspace, pay raises, and advancement opportunities that white, male employees enjoyed. The suit also drops a bombshell allegation that NFL Films keeps a database of clips with timestamps and labels such as “cheerleaders buttocks,” “cheerleaders rear end,” “female fan in bikini top,” “naughty camera work,” “close up of cheerleader’s breasts; cleavage shot,” “shot of endowed woman” and “random woman, cleavage shot.” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy has released a statement denying both the discrimination claims and the claims about the video labels. He stated that these video frames are simply labeled as 'sensitive' so that they will be removed from circulation.

Judge Caproni of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York released a decision allowing for some of Brian Flores' claims to proceed to court rather than arbitration through the NFL. (24:19) Judge Caproni concluded that Flores' claims against the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants and the Houston Texans do not fall within the NFL's arbitration clause. Judge Caproni also noted that she will retain authority to review the commissioner’s decision if he is the arbitrator. This review will undoubtedly look for bias in the NFL's decision.

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