ChristianNews
It’s been reported that a lawsuit filed by a former employee claims that the Atlanta Hawks discriminated against Tyler Perry, Cedric The Entertainer, and other artists at the Philips Arena.
Former security manager, Same Hayes is suing the Atlanta Hawks after he says he was wrongfully fired for pointing out the discriminatory practice. He says Black celebrities were made to go through rigorous security checks at Philips Arena, which is staffed and operated by the Hawks, while White artists were allowed to bypass the metal detectors.
In the lawsuit, Hayes claims his white boss was going out of his way to make sure black celebrities were rigorously checked. He claims both Drake and Future requested to bypass metal detectors, but were denied. Rock band AC/DC, however, had their request granted.
Hayes claims this behavior happened to other celebrities as well, including Tyler Perry, Cedric The Entertainer, D.L. Hughley and Migos.
According to Hayes, who worked event security at the arena since August 2016, he brought the issue to management, who responded by saying, “Hip hop acts draw a different crowd and the white acts bring in more money.”
The Hawks vehemently denied the allegations and believe the employee was fired for legitimate reasons.
“[Samuel Hayes] was terminated for poor performance and his claims are baseless,” a team spokesman told TMZ. “We will defend vigorously.”
