Commissioner Roger Goodell: “NFL Fell Short By A Longshot”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell held a press conference yesterday outside of SoFi stadium, the site of Super Bowl LVI. The topic of racism and discrimination was at the forefront of the Commissioner’s remarks during his state of the NFL address.

GOODELL SHARES INITIAL REACTION TO FLORES LAWSUIT

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL alleging discrimination in the hiring practices of black head coaches. The NFL has since released a statement claiming Coach Flores’ lawsuit is “without merit”. Goodell addressed the NFL’s initial reaction clarifying the released statement was in regards to the legal claims of the lawsuit, but not Coach Flores’ experience. An introspective Goodell stressed the importance of listening to not only Coach Flores, but to other clubs around the league to receive feedback on “subconscious mistakes” in order to make improvements.

RE-EVALUATE ROONEY RULE

The Rooney Rule, implemented in 2003, requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates for the head coaching and senior operation vacancies.  The goal for a more inclusive league means re-evaluating the Rooney Rule according to Commissioner Goodell. However, the NFL currently has two black head coaches, which have received widespread criticism of the effectiveness of the policy. On Wednesday, Commissioner Goodell suggested changes or complete removal of the Rooney Rule are being considered. Additionally, the NFL intends to solicit an independent third party to assist with re-evaluating its policies moving forward.

NFL FELL SHORT BY A LONGSHOT

Commissioner Goodell touted the “good work” of the NFL’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to bring progress in a lot of areas with the exception of the head coach.  He expressed the NFL “fell short by a longshot” of its desired results for diversity among head coaches.

Commissioner Goodell spoke to the scrutiny the league is under for its hiring practices of black coaches. But, he gave no specific solutions on how to improve the problem. Still, Commissioner Goodell took the time during the press conference to reiterate the NFL’s values. “Racism and any form of discrimination are against our values and really something we will not tolerate.”