On Tuesday, former NFL Network reporter Jim Trotter sued the league over the termination of his employment. On Wednesday, Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the case in an interview on ESPN’s First Take.
After Stephen A. Smith Goodell read the racially charged quotes attributed in the lawsuit to Bills owner Terry Pegula and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Smith asked Goodell what those allegations made him feel.
“These are allegations,” Goodell said. “Our job is to make sure they are factual. These are not new charges. They are actually a few years old. They were examined. You have heard the firm denials. A legal dispute is currently ongoing. We will address them because they are important issues and we have the same concerns. We want to ensure our workplaces are first class and that means opportunities for everyone. We know how important progress in diversity is and we are working very hard on it. Is progress where we want it to be? No, it is always slower than you would like, but I am confident that we are moving in the right direction.”
It’s surprising that Goodell said so much. During a conference call with reporters on Tuesday aimed at giving the league a victory lap in terms of Week 1 ratings and the performance of the revamped and rescheduled Sunday Ticket, NFL Executive Vice President of Communications Jeff Miller repeatedly called the ongoing litigation as justification for saying nothing about the Trotter case — beyond reading the league’s statement verbatim.
Goodell suggested that the league would investigate Pegula and Jones’ alleged statements to “ensure they are truthful.” But then Goodell said the allegations were “under investigation.”
So what was discovered? This will be found out in the course of the legal dispute. And to the extent that the league now hires Mary Jo White to conduct a separate investigation, no independent review is expected because the league’s financial interests are not tied to the outcome.
The best thing for the NFL would be to settle with Trotter immediately and then conduct a real investigation into the alleged comments by a truly independent and objective investigator.
That will not happen. The NFL has no real oversight, no real accountability. There is no one forcing the NFL to do anything it doesn’t want to do, and the NFL is ultimately a collection of 31 oligarchs and the CEO of a corporation owned by shareholders who actually own nothing but a piece of paper.
Trotter has a tiger on his tail. Trotter seems determined to pull on that tail as hard as he can. The investigation will take place under the auspices of a federal courthouse in Manhattan, with Trotter’s lawyers diligently and persistently seeking the truth.
The best news is that the league allowed a glaring donut loophole in Trotter’s contract. There is no arbitration clause, no automatic path to the league’s secret, rigged horror court.
This is how the truth will come to light. There will be accountability for the NFL.
Unless the NFL makes Trotter an offer, he won’t turn it down.
Ultimately, Trotter may have to consider a huge financial offer that will be very difficult to refuse. If the league is smart, each team will kick in a million, the Bills and Cowboys will put up $5 million each, and Trotter will be offered $40 million to miss a golden opportunity to expose the Big Shield’s ugly underbelly.