Journalist Sues NFL for Racial Discrimination, Alleges Offensive Comments from Cowboys and Bills Owners
A former NFL Network reporter is suing his former employer alleging his contract was not renewed because he challenged commissioner Roger Goodell about what he viewed as a lack of diversity in the league.
Reporter Jim Trotter, who is black, is also accusing two white team owners of using racially inflammatory language.
In a 53-page civil complaint filed in New York on Tuesday, Trotter claimed he is no longer employed by the NFL or its media arm because he “repeatedly called out the NFL for refusing to address long-standing, systemic and institutional discrimination within coaching ranks, within the NFL league office and within the NFL Media newsroom.”
“For having the integrity and courage to stand up to the NFL, Mr. Trotter lost his job,” the complaint said.
Trotter said that after multiple complaints about his perception that the league lacked diversity in “decision-making positions,” he was told his contract would not be renewed for a sixth year in March.
“The NFL’s treatment of Mr. Trotter is consistent with a documented history of silencing, retaliating against and ‘blackballing’ Black men who speak out about such conduct,” the lawsuit alleged. “This is the NFL’s modus operandi and part of the fabric of the league.”
Trotter also claimed he “witnessed and observed discriminatory and/or hostile conduct by his employers — including by NFL team owners — that went entirely unchecked as a matter of standard operating procedure.”
He cited as examples comments by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula.
“If the Black players don’t like it here, they should go back to Africa and see how bad it is,” Trotter alleges Pegula said.
As for Jones, the former NFL reporter said the Cowboys owner said of a perceived lack of league diversity: “If Blacks feel some kind of way, they should buy their own team and hire who they want to hire.”
Both comments were made in 2020 during the nationwide civil unrest that had made its way into professional sports, according to the lawsuit.
Pegula categorically denied the allegation in a statement on Tuesday.
“The statement attributed to me in Mr. Trotter’s complaint is absolutely false,” he said.
The Bills owner added, “I am horrified that anyone would connect me to an allegation of this kind. Racism has no place in our society and I am personally disgusted that my name is associated with this complaint.”
According to ESPN, Jones also issued a statement denying Trotter’s allegation.
“Diversity and inclusion are extremely important to me personally and to the NFL,” the Cowboys owner said. “The representation made by Jim Trotter of a conversation that occurred over three years ago with myself and our VP of Player Personnel Will McClay is simply not accurate.”
The NFL also challenged Trotter’s claims in a comment obtained by ESPN.
“We share Jim Trotter’s passion for quality journalism created in and supported by a diverse and inclusive environment,” the league said in a statement.
“We take his concerns seriously, but strongly dispute his specific allegations, particularly those made against his dedicated colleagues at NFL Media,” it said.
The NFL attributed the decision not to employ Trotter after March to “a challenging economy and a changing media environment.”
The lawsuit also cites former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s inability to return to the NFL after a season of national anthem protests in 2016 as evidence the league is biased against black Americans — a claim undermined by the fact that 14 of the quarterbacks who started in the first week of the season are black.
A week to remember in NFL history 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZhgPrs4nRj
— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2023
Trotter’s lawsuit is seeking “to force the NFL to remedy and change its discriminatory and retaliatory practices and comply with the law.”
It also asks a court to monitor the league’s hiring practices.
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