A former high school basketball coach who’s Black filed a lawsuit against Denver Public Schools and the city’s board of education Friday, alleging that he was fired in 2022 due to “unlawful racial discrimination.” David Carey of Denver East High School claims he was terminated for turning in an incorrect pay sheet with too many hours, a mistake the lawsuit says was “pretextual” and something for which no one else in the school district had previously been fired.
The lawsuit alleges Carey was consistently discriminated against by two district athletic directors, who he claimed treated him differently than white coaches. Carey was also subjected to racial slurs and being called a “stupid idiot,” according to the lawsuit. He also alleged that he was kept on administrative leave for seven months after a parent made an “unfounded accusation that [he] was selling edibles to kids.