Jim Trotter, long-time NFL reporter and winner of the Hall of Fame’s 2023 Bill Nunn award, has sued the NFL over his firing from NFL Network.
Technically, his contract was not renewed. But since he wanted it to be renewed, the failure to renew it operates as a termination of employment.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, names the NFL, NFL Enterprises, and NFL Network Services as defendants. The full document is available here.
After recounting the NFL’s alleged history of systemic race discrimination (citing years of resisting integration, the blackballing of Colin Kaepernick, the alleged misconduct of Jon Gruden, the race-norming in the concussion settlement, the alleged attempt to pander in 2020, the alleged attempt to pander after the filing of the Brian Flores lawsuit, numerous instances of alleged bigotry from owners, and alleged barriers for Black leaders within the NFL), Trotter alleges that he was the victim of discrimination on the basis of race and/or color, along with retaliation for his efforts to raise concerns within the workplace about racial discrimination.
Trotter, who has since accepted employment with TheAthletic.com, alleges that he was subjected to disparate treatment, that he was exposed to a hostile work environment, and that race and/or retaliation contributed to the NFL’s decision to not give him a new contract.
The case invokes protections under federal law, New York state law, and New York City law.
The NFL issued this statement after the lawsuit was filed: “We share Jim Trotter’s passion for quality journalism created in and supported by a diverse and inclusive environment. 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. We appreciate Jim’s five years of service at NFL Media and wish him much success in his new role. The NFL has made significant strides in improving diversity and inclusion and, while we acknowledge there is always more work to be done, we are committed to continuing that progress.”
There are various specific allegations and incidents in the complaint that merit separate treatment. Those topics will be addressed in subsequent posts.
