Former NFL.com columnist Jim Trotter has filed his anticipated discrimination lawsuit against the NFL, and it has exposed two owners for comments they have made in the past.
Trotter, then a columnist for NFL.com and NFL Network, put the Commissioner on full blast during a news conference in February as he grilled him about the fact that there wasn’t a single Black person working full-time on the news desk.
The NFL offseason is the time of year when NFL Media traditionally makes decisions on whether to renew talent contracts and also who to hire from other organizations.
A few weeks later, Trotter was out of a job after his NFL contract wasn’t renewed. He believes it might have been retaliation for his questioning of Goodell in an open forum.
In his lawsuit, it stated that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones suggested Black players should buy their own NFL team if they’re upset by a lack of minorities in league front offices, while Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula suggested black players ‘go back to Africa and see how bad it is’ if they’re upset with their treatment in the US.
Trotter’s lawsuit alleges, in part:
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4) As one such example, Terry Pegula, owner of the Buffalo Bills, stated inteference to player protests against racial injustice that, “If the Black players don’t like it here, they should go back to Africa and see how bad it is.” See infra at SIII(D).
- As another example, Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, responded to a question posed by Mr. Trotter regarding the dearth of Black professionals in decision-making positions for NFL teams by stating, “If Blacks feel some kind of way, they should buy their own team and hire who they want to hire.” See infra at SIII(C). Mr. Trotter raised complaints and concerns about this remark but no remedial action was taken.
The revelation of Jones’ comments comes after that infamous photo of the Cowboys owner joining in on a crowd of students harassing the Little Rock 9 as they attempted to desegregate North Little Rock High School.
The NFL responded to the lawsuit in a statement on Tuesday, claiming Trotter’s contract was allowed to expire because the league website could no longer afford to keep him on staff.
‘We share Jim Trotter’s passion for quality journalism created in and supported by a diverse and inclusive environment,’ read the statement from league spokesman, Brian McCarthy. ‘We take his concerns seriously, but strongly dispute his specific allegations, particularly those made against his dedicated colleagues at NFL Media.
‘Mr. Trotter’s departure from NFL Media was one of many difficult decisions – similar to decisions recently made by many other media organizations — to address a challenging economy and a changing media environment. Jim was one of many employees who were unfortunately affected by these business decisions.’
Trotter joined NFL Media in 2017. Prior to that, he covered the NFL for Sports Illustrated and ESPN.
