Former NFL Media reporter Jim Trotter filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the NFL and its league-owned media operation alleging racial discrimination.
Trotter, who left NFL Media last year after his contract was not renewed, says in the suit that the league’s decision to let him go was retaliation for publicly questioning NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in a Super Bowl week press conference about a lack of diversity in decision-making positions around the league. In addition to alleging retaliation, the lawsuit also claims that “discriminatory and/or hostile conduct” is “standard operating procedure” for the league, outlining several incidents in which he says the NFL and NFL Media failed to take action.
The filing states that Trotter repeatedly raised concerns “about the NFL’s record on racial diversity and discrimination,” but the league took no action “to legitimately investigate or address his concerns — even though offensive conduct was being committed by people at the very top of the NFL hierarchy.”
Most notably, the complaint implicates two NFL owners for making racist comments, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula. Trotter says that during a 2020 Zoom meeting of NFL Media employees, an unnamed reporter accused Pegula of saying that African American players who “don’t like it here” in the United States should “go back to Africa and see how bad it is.” Trotter says that he repeatedly pressed his managers — both of whom were in the Zoom meeting — to address the issue, but no action was taken.
Pegula issued a statement on social media Tuesday saying that the allegation “is absolutely false” and that he is “personally disgusted” that his name is “associated with this complaint.”
As for Jones, Trotter says that during a conversation at the 2021 Hall of Fame Game, he posed a question to the Cowboys owner about the league’s lack of off-field diversity, to which Jones responded: “If Blacks feel some kind of way, they should buy their own team and hire who they want to hire.” Jones said Tuesday that Trotter’s account is “simply not accurate.”
Trotter’s lawsuit further alleges his superiors at NFL Media prevented him from discussing issues of discrimination and race, specifically after the uncovering of incendiary emails led to the firing of Raiders head coach Jon Gruden. At the time, Trotter wished to report Jones’ comments to contextualize the NFL’s poor record with race, but says he was instructed not to by two supervisors.
At the crux of the suit is Trotter’s termination from NFL Media. The league claims that the decision not to renew his contract was simply due to budget restraints. Trotter has retained the same law firm currently representing Brian Flores in his suit against the league for discriminatory hiring practices. The league now faces two high-profile lawsuits that intend to convey discriminatory practices are pervasive in the NFL, from franchises to the league office.
Following the end of his NFL Network tenure, Trotter joined The Athletic, where he has remained critical of the NFL and has penned several pieces on varying diversity shortcomings in the league. As these discrimination lawsuits play out, he will shift his focus to other leagues, per The Washington Post.
In a statement released on social media, Trotter said the following: “The NFL has claimed it wants to be held accountable regarding diversity, equity and inclusion. I tried to do so, and it cost me my job. … I hope this lawsuit leads to real change across the league and in the newsroom.”
