A soccer executive has allegedly undermined a marketing director by dismissing him after raising concerns about a promised promotion for White colleagues, according to a lawsuit.
Cedric Shine, who joined Major League Soccer (MLS) in December 2022 as a brand marketer, claims he was let go in May after experiencing poor treatment from the league’s top officials. He filed the lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court on July 18.
The 41-year-old stated that he was informed he would be promoted to senior director of marketing when a new supervisor was appointed in February.
However, shortly after that, the new supervisor changed course, as Shine detailed in his court filing.
The lawsuit claims, “The decision to block Shine’s promotion came just weeks after his new supervisor terminated one of the few Black directors in the marketing department, Justin Cox.”
Shine alleges that higher-level responsibilities were instead assigned to “white MLS marketing directors.”
When he reported this to HR, he insisted that the promotion he received was against his supervisor’s wishes, triggering a retaliation campaign against him.
According to Shine, his boss blamed him for various issues, showed up late, slashed marketing budgets, abruptly left events he organized, and raised questions about whether marketing leadership would be seen in a bad light due to his actions, as stated in the lawsuit.
He mentioned that during a performance discussion, he was made to feel like he couldn’t accept constructive criticism.
After other MLS officials ignored his complaints, Shine sought a meeting with MLS Deputy Commissioner Gary Stevenson but was fired before it could take place, as per the lawsuit.
Shine believes that the MLS’s actions have negatively impacted his career, emotional well-being, and general quality of life, claiming ongoing harm.
He is seeking unspecified damages.
The league, which initiated an anti-racism campaign in response to several high-profile incidents, rejected Shine’s claims. In a statement, MLS stated, “Shine’s allegations of retaliation have no merit, and the league intends to vigorously defend against the newly filed lawsuit,” emphasizing its commitment to maintaining a fair and inclusive environment.
