Feds Investigate Nike Over Claims Of Discrimination Against White Employees

The Trump administration asked a federal court on Wednesday to compel Nike to produce information on its diversity, equity, and inclusion goals as the athletic footwear and apparel giant faces allegations that it discriminated against white employees.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a court filing that it is investigating allegations that Nike discriminated against white workers and job applicants to carry out its DEI objectives. The federal government said that Nike also faces accusations of “disparate treatment against white employees” in layoff decisions.

Nike refused to comply with a subpoena asking for the information, according to the commission, which has now filed an enforcement action in a federal court. The commission is asking the court to force Nike to hand over information going back to 2018, and especially wants to look into the criteria Nike has used to select people for layoffs.

“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,” said Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas.

A Nike spokesman told The Daily Wire that the federal government’s action on Wednesday “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 spokesman added. “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.”

Conservative law firm America First Legal filed a civil rights complaint with the commission in January 2024, highlighting how the company has pushed race- and gender-based hiring practices. In 2025, Nike aimed to have half of its global corporate workforce made up of women, and 35% of its U.S. corporate workforce made up of racial minorities.

Nike has also stated that its “Employee Networks” support racial minorities, women, and LGBT people, but noticeably missing from the company’s web page on fostering an “inclusive community” was any mention of straight white men.

The Nike spokesman told The Daily Wire that it remains “committed to fair and lawful employment practices and follow all applicable laws, including those that prohibit discrimination.”

“We believe our programs and practices are consistent with those obligations and take these matters seriously,” the company added. “We will continue our attempt to cooperate with the EEOC and will respond to the petition.”

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said its investigation into Nike is part of a “renewed … focus on evenhanded enforcement of Title VII,” which prohibits employers from discriminating based on race, religion, or sex.

“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,” the commission added.

In recent years, multiple companies and organizations have faced scrutiny over allegations that they have discriminated against white people, especially white men. In 2023, NASCAR removed a racial requirement that discriminated against white applicants in an intern program following a Daily Wire report.

The Supreme Court ruled last summer in favor of a white woman who sued after alleging that she was denied a promotion and demoted for being straight, while both the person who received the promotion and took her old job identified as LGBT. The ruling ensured that white and straight people could sue for discrimination without being forced to meet a higher burden of proof.