The National Football League (NFL) has no plans to end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, according to the league’s Commissioner Roger Goodell, who said the initiatives make the sport better.
“We got into diversity efforts because we felt it was the right thing for the National Football League, and we’re going to continue those efforts because we’ve not only convinced ourselves, I think we’ve proven to ourselves that it does make the NFL better,” Goodell told reporters on Monday.
“We’re not in this because it’s a trend to get into it or a trend to get out of it. Our efforts are fundamental in trying to attract the best possible talent into the National Football League both on and off the field,” he added during his state of the league address.
President Trump has made it one of his priorities to remove DEI policies and efforts from the federal government. He signed an executive order to end such practices shortly after assuming office. A variety of corporations, even before Trump took office, moved in a similar direction, ending DEI policies.
In late January, Target rolled back its DEI policies and a program that emphasized offering products from Black- and minority-owned businesses. The program was created following the killing of George Floyd in 2020. Target joined the likes of Tractor Supply Co, McDonald’s and Walmart.
Goodell referred to the Rooney Rule, which was introduced in 2003 and requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for a head coaching gig, when emphasizing the NFL’s commitment to DEI.
“There’s no requirement to hire a particular individual on the basis of race or gender. It’s simply on the basis of looking at a canvas of candidates that reflect our communities, and to look at the kind of talent that exists there and then you make the best decision on who is hired,” Goodell said on Monday.
“And so many of us, including the National Football League at our office, are doing that voluntarily at all levels because it has benefited us; and I hear that from companies on a global basis is that, that’s a very strong hiring practice that we are adopting also,” he added.
