A Former Brooklyn Nets Executive Says Parental Leave Cost Him His Job

A negative review followed Whalen’s return

Ryan Whalen, a former vice president of cybersecurity for the Brooklyn Nets, says the team’s parent organization fired him 16 days after he returned from parental leave. The complaint, filed on October 21 in federal court in Brooklyn, alleges unlawful retaliation and discrimination. It says earlier reviews had found that Whalen was meeting expectations, while a new review arrived soon after his return.

According to the court complaint filed in Whalen v. Brooklyn Nets, LLC, Whalen took two periods of leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act and New York Paid Family Leave after the birth of his son. He alleges his supervisor, Keia Cole, met his return with hostility and gave him his first negative performance review nine days later. The filing also says the Nets removed him from a list of employees due to attend an NBA conference while he was on leave, without discussing the change with him.

Those are allegations in a complaint, not findings by a court. The timing and the performance record are central to Whalen’s account because he argues that the negative review and termination followed his protected leave.

Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment denies the claims

Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment chief operating officer Marissa Shorenstein denied the allegations in an email to HR Dive, which reported the lawsuit on October 23. “BSE is committed to a workplace free from discrimination,” she said. The organization has not publicly accepted Whalen’s account, and the complaint does not settle the dispute.

Whalen says two reviews completed before his leave showed he was meeting expectations. The new review, his removal from the conference list and his termination are part of the same sequence in his filing. The company’s response rejects the discrimination claim, leaving the evidence behind those employment decisions contested.

The case turns on records and timing

The lawsuit now puts the sequence of leave, review and dismissal before the court. The complaint alleges that Whalen was terminated in March 2026, 16 days after he returned. It seeks a legal remedy under leave protections, but no ruling on the allegations is described in the reporting available so far.

For workers and employers, the case highlights how closely performance records can be examined when discipline follows family leave. The Nets dispute Whalen’s claims, and the court has not decided whether the review reflected a genuine performance concern or whether leave played a role. That question will depend on evidence developed as the case proceeds.