The new lawsuit filed against the NFL by reporter Jim Trotter attributes racist remarks from Bills owner Terry Pegula and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Trotter explains that, in the aftermath of Jon Gruden’s departure from the Raiders after the release of various inappropriate emails, Jones allegedly made comments to him at the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Steelers and the Cowboys.
Trotter, while on the field before the game, was congregating with other reporters.
“At one point, Mr. Trotter was speaking to Will McClay, the Cowboy’s Vice President of Player Personnel, about the fact that NFL teams tend not to draft many players out of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (‘HBCUs’) and whether that might be due to the lack of Black people in personnel decision-making positions — i.e. General Managers. Mr. Jones joined the conversation, and Mr. Trotter asked why teams have so few Black decision makers.”
From paragraph 114: “In response to Mr. Trotter, Mr. Jones dodged the question and stated that players get a large percentage of league revenue and the majority of players are Black. In effect, Mr. Jones was stating that Black people should ‘be happy for what they have’ and not seek further advancement of their rights, positions in society, or equality.”
From paragraph 115: “Mr. Trotter reiterated his question and Mr. Jones responded, ‘I’m starting to feel a little defensive.’ However, notwithstanding Mr. Jones’ previous answer or history of conduct, Mr. Trotter made it clear that he was not attacking him, or even speaking about the Cowboys, but just asking about the league generally.”
Paragraph 116: “Mr. Jones finally responded: ‘If Blacks feel some kind of way, they should buy their own team and hire who they want to hire.’ Mr. Trotter responded by asking if the NFL was going to change its rules requiring purchasers to buy at least 30% of the team and finance deals with no more than $1 billion in debt. Mr. Jones ignored the question.”
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Jones has since issued a response to these allegations:
“Diversity and inclusion are extremely important to me personally and to the NFL. 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 longtime Dallas Cowboys owner said in a statement, via team insider Todd Archer.
Trotter’s suit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, names the National Football League and NFL Network, Trotter’s former employer, as defendants.
As for Jones, he is hoping this all blows over so he can get back to focusing on his Dallas Cowboys team who is fresh off a 40-0 victory over the New York Giants last Sunday Night.
