PITTSBURGH (AP) — Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Mike Merriweather has filed a federal lawsuit claiming he was fired from his promotions job with a western Pennsylvania casino because of his race.
A spokesman for The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, which is being sued along with parent company Cannery Casino Resorts, declined to comment.
Merriweather, a Pro Bowl linebacker for the Steelers during the 1980s, claims the casino’s white management made disparaging remarks, sometimes in jest, about him being potentially violent because he’s black.
He contends he was hired as director of sports marketing to promote events that might attract other athletes to the casino about 15 miles south of Pittsburgh. Merriweather says he was fired in January 2012 and hasn’t been paid commissions.
His lawsuit filed Tuesday evening seeks unspecified damages, including lost pay.
