- Roger Goodell on termination of Jim Trotter: “I wasn’t part of that decision” NBC Sports
- NFL reporter Jim Trotter publicly questioned Roger Goodell. His fate afterward reveals so much on league’s commitment to diversity Yahoo Sports
- Rachel Bonnetta out at NFL Network as staff-trimming continues New York Post
- Jim Trotter believes his questioning of Roger Goodell “played a role” in his termination by NFL Media NBC Sports
- Veteran reporter Jim Trotter suggests Roger Goodell’s involvement in termination from NFL Media Sportsnaut
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Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft have heated exchange amid Roger Goodell contract discussion
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- Host and co-executive producer of the new ESPN series, “Backstory”
- Member of three Pulitzer Prize-winning teams for national, explanatory and public service journalism
- Author of three books, including New York Times best-selling “First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft to Bush”
- 24-year newspaper career at The New York Times and Miami Herald
NEW YORK — NFL owners voted 31-1 on Tuesday to permit their compensation committee to open negotiations on a new contract with commissioner Roger Goodell, but not before two of the league’s most powerful owners, the Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones and New England Patriots’ Robert Kraft, engaged in a heated exchange, league and ownership sources told ESPN.
The sources said Kraft joined the overwhelming majority in strong support for the measure, with Jones the lone dissenter in the owners-only session, eventually telling Kraft, “Don’t f— with me.”
Kraft replied, “Excuse me?”
“Don’t mess with me,” Jones said.
The measure then passed, sources said.
The NFL and a Cowboys spokesman declined comment. A Patriots spokesman didn’t immediately provide a comment from the team.
This isn’t the first time Jones has been outspoken and opposed to a new contract for Goodell, 63, and sources said his issue remains the same: the structure of Goodell’s compensation. In 2017, Goodell signed a new five-year deal that was different from his previous ones. Jones led a charge that restructured Goodell’s deal from mostly salaried to mostly bonuses based on performance. Several committees composed of owners determine whether they feel Goodell has met goals and targets.
Jones is concerned that the triggers for Goodell’s proposed bonus pool in a new contract will be too vague and not connected to a strict set of financial goals and metrics without a more rigorous review, sources said.
“He believes in corporate good governance and wants accountability on the financial goals tied to Roger’s bonus,” said a league source familiar with Jones’ thinking. “He is sensitive to awarding a big bonus to Roger before he performs and earns it.”
The source added that, in the past, Jones has thought Goodell’s financial targets were too “vague.”
The source denied Jones’ outburst was connected to any lingering animosity between Kraft and Jones.
The 31-1 vote signals that most owners want Goodell, who has been in the job since 2006, to continue as commissioner for the foreseeable future — and that he wants to continue in that role. One owner told ESPN that the committee might consider a two- or three-year deal.
In the years since he received his latest contract, Goodell has helped usher in a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement with the union that added a 17th game, helped ensure that the NFL didn’t miss any games during the COVID-19 pandemic and landed long-term broadcast deals with new and existing partners worth more than $100 billion. The NFL’s popularity is unquestioned, despite myriad concerns about the long-term health of players, a lawsuit from St. Louis over the Rams’ move to Los Angeles that ended up in a $790 million settlement and repeated scandals and investigations into the Washington Commanders and owner Dan Snyder.
The New York Times reported last year that Goodell’s total compensation over a two-year period from 2020 to 2021 was nearly $128 million.
Goodell has said in the past that he doesn’t want to be considered someone who stays in the job too long. ESPN reported in 2017 that Goodell told some owners that he would walk away after his next contract, CBA and rights negotiations.
“I’m here for you through that,” Goodell told some owners. “After that, you guys should start having a conversation.”
Roger Goodell testifies before Congress: Live updates
In his prepared remarks for the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the Washington Commanders’ workplace culture has undergone a “substantial transformation” since the NFL-sponsored investigation, led by attorney Beth Wilkinson, into the team.
“It is clear to me that the workplace in Washington was unprofessional and unacceptable in numerous respects: bullying, widespread disrespect toward colleagues, use of demeaning language, public embarrassment, and harassment,” Goodell’s prepared remarks read, in part. “Moreover, for a prolonged period of time the Commanders had a woefully deficient HR function, particularly with respect to reporting practices and recordkeeping.”
Goodell is scheduled to testify as the hearing’s lone witness Wednesday, speaking to lawmakers via Zoom. In his written remarks released ahead of the hearing, he noted the $10 million fine the league levied against the Commanders in the wake of Wilkinson’s investigation and added that, to the best of his knowledge, owner Daniel Snyder “has not been involved in day-to-day operations” of the team for the past year.
“To be clear — the workplace at the Commanders today bears no resemblance to the workplace that has been described to this committee,” Goodell said.
Goodell’s prepared remarks say the NFL will share the results of attorney Mary Jo White’s investigation of a sexual harassment claim against Snyder, which was raised during a Feb. 3 congressional roundtable, when it is completed, and that the league “will take additional disciplinary action if warranted.”
“I have been and remain committed to ensuring that all employees of the NFL and the 32 clubs work in a professional and supportive environment that is free from discrimination, harassment, or other forms of illegal or unprofessional conduct,” Goodell’s remarks read.
House Oversight Committee invites Dan Snyder, Roger Goodell to testify at hearing
Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell have been requested to testify at a congressional hearing on June 22.
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-New York), the chairperson of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois), the chairperson of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, announced Wednesday morning the committee sent letters to both men requesting their presence at the hearing.
With its announcement, the Committee on Oversight and Reform is broadening the scope of its congressional investigation to include the league. In a statement, the June 22 hearing will also examine “the NFL’s role in setting and enforcing standards across the League, and legislative reforms needed to address these issues across the NFL and other workplaces.” The committee has been investigating the Commanders’ hostile workplace culture since October.
“The NFL really needs to answer the question of why it conducted the investigation in the way it did and why hasn’t it brought transparency as to how the investigation was conducted,” Krishnamoorth told ESPN.
He said if they declined to testify then, “all options are on the table. Subpoena and compulsory process are options available to the committee as well.”
Krishnamoorthi said the fact that there’s a lot of public interest in this — as well as public pressure — should highlight the urgency to testify.
“It’s in their best interest to come and tell their own side of the story in a manner they would find illuminating for us,” he said. “What I find often on Capitol Hill is that when a party comes forward voluntarily as opposed to being subpoenaed, it ends up having a better chance of being able to explain the situation rather than events overtaking it.”
The NFL said it would respond to the request for Goodell to testify “in a timely manner.”
“The NFL has cooperated extensively throughout the Committee’s lengthy investigation of the Washington Commanders, including by producing more than 460,000 pages of documents and responding to numerous questions in writing and in conversations with the Committee’s staff,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement.
Last June, the NFL fined the Commanders $10 million as a result of its investigation, led by Wilkinson, into the franchise’s workplace culture. Last October, Maloney and Krishnamoorthi sent a letter to Goodell requesting all documents related to the investigation. Goodell, however, has said the full report on the investigation will not be released to protect the anonymity of the people who cooperated with the investigation.
The Washington Post reported in November that Snyder tried to prevent Wilkinson from interviewing a woman who had accused the owner of sexual misconduct in 2009. The woman was ultimately paid a $1.6 million settlement. Goodell, however, has denied that Snyder hindered the league’s investigation.
“We are pleased the House Oversight Committee has invited Dan Snyder and Roger Goodell to testify in front of the Committee,” attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, who represent ex-employees of the Washington franchise, said in a statement. “We hope they will demonstrate the same courage as our clients and agree to testify. Dan Snyder and Roger Goodell have a lot to answer for.”
In February, at a congressional roundtable, Tiffani Johnston, a former marketing and events coordinator for the team, levied a new allegation against Snyder, accusing him of touching her without her consent at a work dinner about 13 years ago. Snyder issued a statement denying her allegations. The NFL has launched an investigation into the allegations.
In April, the Committee on Oversight and Reform sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission and several attorneys general alleging that the Commanders failed to refund security deposits, concealed revenue and kept two sets of financial books. The allegations of financial improprieties were made by former longtime employee Jason Friedman who, on March 14, met with members of the committee as part of its investigation into the team’s workplace culture. The FTC told ESPN it can neither “confirm nor deny” if it has launched an investigation as a result of the committee’s letter.
The Commanders have denied the allegations. The Virginia and D.C. attorneys general announced last month they would open an investigation into the allegations. Also in April, New York’s attorney general sent a letter to the NFL on behalf of a coalition of six other attorneys general to call upon the league “to address recent allegations of workplace inequity” and “a culture of sexism and widespread workplace discrimination within the NFL, including but not limited to, sexual harassment, targeted retaliation, and harmful stereotyping.”
In response, the NFL said in a statement on April 6, “We share the commitment of the attorneys general to ensuring that all of our workplaces — including the league office and 32 clubs — are diverse, inclusive and free from discrimination and harassment. We have made great strides over the years in support of that commitment, but acknowledge that we, like many organizations, have more work to do. We look forward to sharing with the attorneys general the policies, practices, protocols, education programs and partnerships we have implemented to act on this commitment and confirm that the league office and our clubs maintain a respectful workplace where all our employees, including women, have an opportunity to thrive.”
From the beginning, Republicans have maintained that the committee should not be investigating this situation, saying it should be left up to the courts. The Republican committee spokesman, Austin Hacker, stressed that again Wednesday.
“The Democrats’ sham investigation into the Washington Commanders is a misuse of congressional oversight authority,” he said. “There is nothing Congress can do to remedy any of the specific allegations made. If Congress can’t provide a solution, why are the Democrats wasting valuable resources and scheduling a hearing?”
Ex-Papa John’s CEO claims NFL team owners asked him to get Roger Goodell fired
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Former Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter opened up to Sportscasting late last month about a situation in 2017 in which he claimed Washington Commanders team owner Daniel Snyder and Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones wanted him to get NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell fired at the height of the national anthem controversy.
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and John Schnatter attend the DirecTV Super Saturday Night at Pier 40 on February 1, 2014 in New York City.
(Noam Galai/WireImage)
The New York Post noted Schnatter at the time was feuding with Goodell and blamed him for Papa John’s falling stock. Schnatter was against players kneeling during the national anthem.
Schnatter told Sportscasting he told Snyder and Jones it wasn’t his job to oust Goodell.
“… Remember, Goodell is a coward, and he is incompetent. And he’s just lucky. Jerry Jones, the owner of the Cowboys, Indra Nooyi [former CEO] with PepsiCo, and Dan Snyder all called me — several other folks — about Goodell’s conduct and the way he was handling this. Jones and Dan Snyder … wanted Goodell fired. This is like …the first of November, end of October.
EX-RAIDERS PRESIDENT ALLEGES FIRING WAS RETALIATORY FOR RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT ‘HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT’
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 04: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell looks on before the Las Vegas Raiders play against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on October 4, 2021 in Inglewood, California.
(Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
“They called and said, ‘You need to take this guy out. You’re the number one sponsor of the league, as far as notoriety and acceptance and association. Everybody loves you, they love Peyton [Manning]. We hate Goodell.”
Schnatter added: “I said, ‘No. This is not my job to fire your commissioner. He works for you. I just sell pizzas. I have a family of small businesses that, you know, probably 35 percent of our spend’s NFL, it’s down 20 percent. This behavior of not addressing the issue to the owners’ and players’ satisfaction is causing me and my franchisees a lot of problems. And this is going on now for two seasons… I had a free shot from two owners to go after Goodell personally. I didn’t go after him in a vicious, venomous way. I just said, ‘Hey, grow up, be a leader, and fix the problem so my small business owners stop taking it on the chin.’”
Goodell would go on to sign another contract. He reportedly requested nearly $50 million per year in addition to the lifetime use of a private jet.
Dan Snyder, center, co-owner and co-CEO of the Washington Commanders, adjusts his mask as he arrives to unveil his NFL football team’s new identity, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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Schnatter eventually resigned as chairman after he was heard saying the N-word on a conference call.
Roger Goodell — Results of NFL’s coaching diversity efforts ‘unacceptable’
The results of the NFL’s coaching diversity efforts are “unacceptable,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo issued to all clubs Saturday morning.
The memo, titled “Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” surfaced four days after the NFL called claims in coach Brian Flores’ lawsuit over discrimination in the hiring process “without merit.”
Flores, fired by the Miami Dolphins Jan. 10 despite back-to-back winning seasons, hopes to “shine a light on the racial injustices that take place inside the NFL,” according to his lawsuit filed this week.
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is the league’s only current Black head coach.
“Racism and any form of discrimination is contrary to the NFL’s values,” Goodell stated. “We have made significant efforts to promote diversity and adopted numerous policies and programs which have produced positive change in many areas, however we must acknowledge that particularly with respect to head coaches the results have been unacceptable. We will reevaluate and examine all policies, guidelines and initiatives relating to diversity, equity and inclusions.”
The memo also stressed that “we understand the concerns” of Flores and others this week.
Flores’ lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the NFL while aiming to increase influence of Black individuals in the hiring process, objectivity of hiring for prominent positions and transparency in pay, among other issues. Flores is suing the Denver Broncos and New York Giants, alleging discrimination during interview processes, along with the Dolphins over his firing last month and owner Stephen Ross’ efforts to undermine Flores’ job. Among Flores’ claims: Ross tried to incentivize Flores to lose games with $100,000 bonuses for each loss in 2019; Broncos executive John Elway appearing hungover during a job interview in 2019; and the Giants deciding to hire now-head-coach Brian Daboll before interviewing Flores. All three teams have vehemently denied Flores’ claims.
Flores’ attorneys issued a statement Saturday and said they “suspect that this is more of a public relations ploy than real commitment to change.”
“Unfortunately, immediately after Coach Flores filed the class action lawsuit, the NFL and various teams reflexively, and without any investigation, denied the detailed allegations set forth in the 60-page complaint. As a result, when we spoke to the national media the following day we made clear that the NFL should view this class action lawsuit as an opportunity to engage in real change and confront the obvious reality,” Flores’ attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and John Elefterakis said in a statement.
“The statement made today by the Commissioner is, on the surface, a positive first step, but we suspect that this is more of a public relations ploy than real commitment to change,” the lawyers’ statement continued. “For too many years, the NFL has hidden behind the cover of foundations that were supposed to protect the rights of Black players and coaches, as well as law firms and experts that purport to be unbiased and independent, but are paid for by the NFL. All the while, systemic racial bias has festered in the NFL’s front offices.
“The NFL is now rolling out the same playbook yet again and that is precisely why this lawsuit was filed. We would be pleased to talk to the Commissioner about real change, but unfortunately he has not reached out to us to engage in such a discussion. In fact, nobody from the NFL has reached out to us. Absent such a discussion followed by unbiased and concrete change, we believe that a court or governmental agency must order a federal monitor to oversee the NFL as the NFL cannot continue to police itself.”
While the NFL has attempted to strengthen the Rooney Rule — which requires teams to interview minority candidates and offers draft picks to incentivize minority hiring — the numbers are trending downward. New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh is the only minority head-coaching candidate hired from the last two cycles — seven last year, five so far this year. That total includes zero Black coaches.
General manager candidates are faring better, with two Black hires — Chicago Bears’ Ryan Poles, Minnesota Vikings’ Kwasi Adofo-Mensah — selected out of four hires made this cycle.
“While the legal process [with Flores] moves forward, we will not wait to reassess and modify our strategies to ensure that they are consistent with our values and longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” Goodell stated. “In particular, we recognize the need to understand the lived experiences of diverse members of the NFL family to ensure that everyone has access to opportunity and is treated with respect and dignity.”
The issue of game integrity will also be reviewed “thoroughly and independently” by the league while expecting full cooperation from the league. “There is much work to do, and we will embrace this moment and seize the opportunity to become a stronger, more inclusive league,” Goodell said.
Roger Goodell says progress on diversity with head coaches has been unacceptable
Within a couple hours of former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filing a lawsuit alleging racist hiring practices, the NFL released a statement saying the suit was without merit. But in a memo to top NFL executives, Goodell acknowledged a failure to make progress on increasing diversity among head coaches.
The memo, issued to club presidents and chief executives, touts the NFL’s efforts at diversity but doesn’t hide the plain fact that there isn’t much diversity within the ranks of head coaches.
“We have made significant efforts to promote diversity and adopted numerous policies and programs which have produced positive change in many areas, however we must acknowledge that particularly with respect to head coaches the results have been unacceptable,” Goodell wrote. “We will reevaluate and examine all policies, guidelines and initiatives relating to diversity, equity and inclusion, including as they relate to gender.”
And despite the claim that Flores’ lawsuit was meritless, Goodell did acknowledge legitimate concerns that Flores has addressed.
“We understand the concerns expressed by Coach Flores and others this week,” Goodell wrote. “While the legal process moves forward, we will not wait to reassess and modify our strategies to ensure that they are consistent with our values and longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell – Owner Dan Snyder didn’t hinder investigation of Washington Football Team
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday from the league’s owners meetings in Irving, Texas, that Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder did not hinder the investigation into his franchise last year.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Snyder tried to prevent attorney Beth Wilkinson from interviewing a woman who had accused the owner of sexual misconduct in 2009. The woman was ultimately paid a $1.6 million settlement.
But Goodell told reporters that Snyder’s efforts “didn’t interfere with the work that our investigator did.”
Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform who have pushed the NFL to release documents related to the investigation now want more answers from the NFL regarding Snyder’s reported attempts.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois), who serves on the committee, told ESPN that what was reported was “deeply disturbing and it continues to compel us to investigate the situation.” They want more from the NFL, he said.
“They’ve been producing documents; they’ve been doing it on a regular basis,” said Krishnamoorthi, who is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy. “But what we learned yesterday only points to the need for a lot more information from them. … I’d like them to step up the volume and the nature of the documents.”
The Post reported that Wilkinson learned of the 2009 allegation shortly after she began her investigation into the franchise last year. According to the Post, when Wilkinson tried to interview the former team employee, Snyder’s attorneys worked to prevent that from happening.
The team had reached the settlement with the woman, who had threatened to sue the Washington owner, according to the Post. The alleged sexual misconduct took place on Snyder’s private plane. The New York Times reported last year that a copy of the agreement did not detail the allegations and that neither Snyder, nor the team, ever admitted to wrongdoing.
The Post article stated that an unidentified insurance carrier settled the case. The newspaper also reported that Snyder’s attorneys had offered the woman more money to maintain her silence. The woman’s attorney, according to the story, wrote a letter to Snyder’s lawyers that was filed in federal court about the attempt to block Wilkinson from speaking to her.
“The question is why, why did they go to that length to try to silence that witness and what else did they do to put the kibosh on this investigation and how did they do that?” Krishnamoorthi said.
He added that he didn’t know if the Post story made it more likely that there would be congressional hearings on this matter, as many staffers have anticipated.
“It depends on their level of cooperation,” Krishnamoorthi said of the NFL. “Here’s my take on the situation: This information will come out one way or another. We’re seeing people produce these documents and information to the press … so it’s getting out there, and so the question is do they want to produce it themselves and explain what happened or is it going to come out another way?”
An NFL spokesman said, “We continue to be responsive to the committee. We will decline further comment out of respect for the committee and its process.”
Jon Gruden sues NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell
The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Clark County, Nevada District Court.
Gruden resigned in October as head coach of the Raiders after reports emerged of him using homophobic, racist and misogynistic language in emails while he worked as an ESPN analyst.
“The complaint alleges that the defendants selectively leaked Gruden’s private correspondence to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times in order to harm Gruden’s reputation and force him out of his job,” Gruden’s attorney Adam Hosmer-Henner said in a statement. “There is no explanation or justification for why Gruden’s emails were the only ones made public out of the 650,000 emails collected in the NFL’s investigation of the Washington Football Team or for why the emails were held for months before being released in the middle of the Raiders’ season.”
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told CNN in a statement, “The allegations are entirely meritless and the NFL will vigorously defend against these claims.”
The suit claims the NFL’s actions have led to Gruden suffering from “severe financial damages and harm to his career and reputation.”
Though the source of the leaked emails is unknown, the lawsuit claims they were leaked by the NFL and alleges the league deliberately sought to hurt Gruden while other details of the investigation into the Washington football team were kept secret. McCarthy told CNN in October the league had no plans to release more details from the investigation for confidentiality reasons.
“Out of 650,000 emails obtained months earlier in connection with the investigation into workplace misconduct by the Washington Football Team, Defendants weaponized a small subset that were authored by Gruden prior to his hiring by the Raiders. Defendants then purposefully leveraged these emails to cause the termination of Gruden’s coaching contract, endorsements, and sponsorships,” the lawsuit says.
Investigation came after accusations against Washington team management
In July, the NFL announced it fined the Washington organization $10 million after an independent investigation found the club’s work environment was “highly unprofessional,” especially for women.
The fine cames after 15 former female employees and two journalists who covered the team accused team staffers of sexual harassment and verbal abuse. The club launched an investigation last July, which the NFL took over in August.
In October, the Wall Street Journal reported Gruden used racially insensitive language to describe NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith in a 2011 email.
Then the New York Times reported it reviewed more emails and found Gruden denounced women being employed as on-field officials, a team drafting an openly gay player, and the tolerance for national anthem protesters.
Many of Gruden’s emails, covering a seven-year period, were sent to Bruce Allen, the Washington team’s then-president who was fired in December 2019, according to the Times.
A league source, just before Gruden resigned, confirmed the accuracy of the Times’ story to CNN.
Gruden was one of the NFL’s highest-paid coaches, having signed a 10-year, $100 million contract with the Raiders, according to salary tracking website Spotrac.
He first coached the Raiders from 1998 to 2001, then won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. At the time, Gruden was 39 and then, the youngest coach to win the Super Bowl.
He left the Bucs in 2008 and became a football analyst for ESPN and his messages were sent while he was working for ESPN as a color analyst during “Monday Night Football,” the Times reported.