Former NFL Player Suing Chiefs for Wrongful Termination

A former NFL player who spent nine years with the Kansas City Chiefs is suing the multi-time Super Bowl champion franchise for wrongful termination.

Ramzee Robinson spent nine years with the Chiefs, working as the team's director of of player engagement from 2016 through 2025. When he began working for the team, he says he earned a salary of $35,000, and ended with a salary of $125,000.

Robinson claims that the average salary for his position was $171,932, and says that the Chiefs "paid African-American business employees less than their white counterparts."

Robinson says he spoke to team president Mark Donovan about a salary increase, but his request was denied as the team "had previously given him raises." He says Donovan pressured him into re-signing with the team while preventing him from taking an interview with the Houston Texans.

The former NFL player then says he was fired for "conduct detrimental to the league," and was told that he had "attacked" a female coworker. The lawsuit notes that the team told Robinson that there was footage of the incident, but that the team "refused to show Plaintiff the video."

The Chiefs are denying the conduct put forth in the lawsuit. Vice president of football communications Brad Gee told Pro Football Talk on Wednesday that the team cannot speak on particular elements as it is an ongoing legal matter. 

Gee also said that "the Chiefs do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We look forward to the facts of this case coming to light.”

Robinson's lawsuit suggests that he wasn't the only employee to be harmed by racial prejudice, as he says an "African-American female" resigned after the team refused to promote her or raise her $50,000 salary. 

The former player says the team hired a white woman to the same role for an $80,000 salary.

Personally, Robinson is seeking compensation and damages for "emotional distress, lost wages, including front and back pay and other benefits, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs necessary for litigation."

The 41-year-old Robinson was the last player selected in the 2007 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. He played for three NFL teams and spent time with two others in training camp, while also spending a short stint in the Canadian Football League