Chicago Bears sued for rejecting white, male law student for role aimed at minorities and women, in NFL's latest DEI scandal

A white male law student has sued the Chicago Bears for 'intentional race and sex discrimination' by rejecting him for a fellowship aimed at minorities and women.

Jonathan Bresser, a freshman at Chicago's DePaul University, says he met all requirements in the team's 'legal diversity scholar' advert except he's not a 'person of color and/or female.'

His lawsuit against the Bears and several employees says Bresser's rejection in January amounted to discrimination, because he was a white man, and violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

They treated him 'differently than similarly-situated non-Caucasian applicants and engaged in unlawful employment practices by circulating a job posting which is discriminatory on its face,' the suit alleges.

Jonathan Bresser suffered 'humiliation, degradation, emotional distress' from the rejection

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Bresser suffered 'humiliation, degradation, emotional distress, other consequential damages, and lost wages,' says the 38-page filing at an Illinois federal court.

He seeks a jury trial, compensation, his legal fees paid — and for the Bears to change their recruitment policy.

The Super Bowl-winning team did not answer DailyMail.com's request for comment.

The suit is the latest example of the backlash against so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in professional sports.

America First Legal (AFL), last month filed a complaint against the NFL's so-called 'Rooney Rule,' saying the requirement to interview minority applicants for top coaching and executive jobs ultimately hurts white jobseekers.

Advocates say DEI schemes bring more black, brown, female, and queer talent into offices, colleges, and sports teams, and raise morale across the board.

They're especially important in sports, where minorities are often players but struggle to get coaching, management and back-office gigs, they add.

Critics however say DEI is a 'woke' virtue-signaling exercise that fosters backlash discrimination against straight, white men.

Lawyer ​​​​Chris Deubert says the club's 'fellowship program is well-intentioned but nonetheless problematic'

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Bresser applied for the Bears' newly-advertised fellowship gig last November, the suit says.

He met all the requirements for the 'legal diversity fellow' as he had a strong academic record and experience as a paralegal, the suit says.

The only requirement he did not meet was for applicants to be a 'person of color and/or female law student.'

Bears staff knew Bresser was a white man because they viewed his LinkedIn page, he says.

The club in January emailed Bresser to say he had been rejected.

They 'engaged in intentional race and sex discrimination when creating and circulating a job posting which by its very nature excludes Caucasian men as viable applicants,' says the suit.

The Bears and its personnel team 'intentionally deprived' Bresser 'of his rights to contract on the basis of race,' the suit alleges.

His lawyer ​​​​Chris Deubert, of Constangy, Brooks, Smith and Prophete, says the Bears' diversity fellowship was 'well-intentioned but nonetheless problematic.'

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'The position’s requirement that the fellow be a person of color or female on its face violates federal and state anti-discrimination laws,' Deubert told DailyMail.com.  

'Only in very rare circumstances not applicable here can race or sex be considered as part of the employment application process.'

The club should 'scrap race and sex as qualifications for any position,' he added.

They could alternatively ask applicants to submit 'adversity statements' about how race and other factors had impacted their careers, he said.

The Bears did not answer our requests for comment, but the 'social justice' section of the team's website says it backs DEI.

It is committed to 'establishing an inclusive, equitable work environment that reflects the diversity within our communities and fan base,' says the site.

'We value, respect and appreciate diversity at all levels, on and off the field, and are guided by a vision of success that includes integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into our club's DNA and culture.'