Tag: Goodell

Feb 8, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; NFL Network reporter Jim Trotter at press conference at Phoenix Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Reporter Jim Trotter sues NFL, claims he was retaliated against

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Longtime NFL journalist Jim Trotter filed a lawsuit against the league Tuesday, alleging his departure from NFL Media was retaliatory and racially motivated.

Trotter, who is Black, claimed his employment at NFL Media ended earlier this year after he “challenged Commissioner Roger Goodell … regarding the NFL’s record of race discrimination and lack of diversity” at Goodell’s pre-Super Bowl press conference. NFL Media is owned and operated by the league.

NFL Network also is named as a defendant in the suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The league has claimed Trotter’s contract was not renewed due to economic decisions.

“We share Jim Trotter’s passion for quality journalism created in and supported by a diverse and inclusive environment,” the league said in a statement. “We take his concerns seriously, but strongly dispute his specific allegations, particularly those made against his dedicated colleagues at NFL Media.”

While not named as a defendant, Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula is alleged in the lawsuit to have made racist comments about Black NFL players.

Trotter relayed a conversation with a fellow NFL Media reporter, who was not identified. That reporter was speaking with Pegula in 2020 about the Black Lives Matter movement and the NFL’s social justice programs, and Pegula said, “If the Black players don’t like it here, they should go back to Africa and see how bad it is.”

Pegula denied making the comment in a statement Tuesday.

“The statement attributed to me in Mr. Trotter’s complaint is absolutely false,” Pegula said. “I am horrified that anyone would connect me to an allegation of this kind. Racism has no place in our society and I am personally disgusted that my name is associated with this complaint.”

Trotter’s lawsuit said that he took a complaint to NFL Media executives, who told him that the league office was investigating it.

Trotter also alleged that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told him in 2020 that, “If Blacks feel some kind of way, they should buy their own team and hire who they want to hire.” Neither Jones nor the Cowboys have commented.

Trotter, who now works for The Athletic, is seeking unspecified damages as well as an investigation into “discriminatory and/or retaliatory animus of all persons in position of power within the NFL,” per the lawsuit.

“The NFL has claimed it wants to be held accountable regarding diversity, equity and inclusion. I tried to do so and it cost me my job,” Trotter wrote on social media Tuesday. “I’m filing this lawsuit because I can’t complain about things that are wrong if I’m unwilling to fight for what is right.”

–Field Level Media

Jul 31, 2023; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) during training camp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Saints RB Alvin Kamara meeting commish Wednesday

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New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is in New York on Wednesday to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Kamara has said he anticipates receiving a suspension for his role in a February 2022 fight in Las Vegas that recently culminated in his pleading to a misdemeanor.

Kamara had been charged with a felony in the case in which a man was beaten on the eve of the Pro Bowl. He was sentenced to community service and will have to pay $100,000 to the victim for medical bills. Kamara also reached a civil settlement with the victim, Darnell Greene Jr., which included a public apology.

But now he has to plead his case with Goodell in a meeting Kamara requested.

“I think Alvin really wants to get out ahead of this and have a chance to visit with Roger and kind of give him his side of the story,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said Monday. “And look, at the end of the day, I think part of it is, ‘Let’s get some resolution with where we’re at and move forward.’ I think Alvin is looking forward to putting this behind him and focusing in on what he has to do to be the best he can for our team this season.”

The incident occurred at Drai’s After Hours nightclub, located in the basement of the Cromwell Hotel.

Kamara, 27, appeared in 15 games (13 starts) and ran for 897 yards and two touchdowns in 2022. The five-time Pro Bowl selection added 57 catches for 490 yards and two TDs.

–Field Level Media

Jul 31, 2023; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) during training camp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Saints RB Alvin Kamara to meet with commissioner

Posted on | by Field Level Media

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara anticipates being handed a suspension for his role in the February 2022 fight in Las Vegas that culminated in a plea deal, but the length of the ban could hinge on his meeting with Roger Goodell.

Kamara indicated he’s set to meet with the NFL commissioner to tell his side of the story of what transpired last year at the Las Vegas nightclub. Kamara pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of breach of peace earlier this month, avoiding trial in the case in which a man was beaten.

Kamara had been charged with a felony. Kamara was sentenced to community service and will have to pay $100,000 to the victim for medical bills. Kamara also reached a civil settlement with the victim, Darnell Greene Jr., which included a public apology.

But now he has to plea with Goodell, a meeting Kamara requested.

“I think Alvin really wants to get out ahead of this and have a chance to visit with Roger and kind of give him his side of the story,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said Monday. “And look, at the end of the day, I think part of it is, ‘Let’s get some resolution with where we’re at and move forward.’ I think Alvin is looking forward to putting this behind him and focusing in on what he has to do to be the best he can for our team this season.”

The incident occurred at Drai’s After Hours nightclub, located in the basement of the Cromwell Hotel.

Kamara, 27, appeared in 15 games (13 starts) and ran for 897 yards and two touchdowns in 2022. The five-time Pro Bowl selection added 57 catches for 490 yards and two TDs.

–Field Level Media

Snow started before the game and slowly filled the field as the Bills took on the Cincinnati Bengals at home in Orchard Park on Jan. 22. Wide Snow Highmark Stadium

Bills break ground on $1.54B stadium

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The Buffalo Bills broke ground on their new $1.54 billion stadium Monday, with NFL, state and local dignitaries on hand to mark the occasion.

It was an emotional day in the suburb of Orchard Park, where the Bills have played since 1973. Among the crowd to watch the first shovels turned were Mary Wilson, the widow of Bills founder Ralph Wilson.

The team and public officials agreed on a public-private financing plan to keep the Bills in a modern stadium in Orchard Park, across the street from the location of the original Rich Stadium, now called Highmark Stadium. The Bills announced Monday that Highmark, a Western New York insurance firm, will be the name sponsor of the new stadium when it opens in 2026.

The stadium financing includes $600 million from the state and $250 million in county funds, with the rest coming from the team.

Bills co-owner Terry Pegula told the crowd that it’s time to add to the storied history of the team with the new stadium.

“So let me get this straight,” he said. “We’re going to build a stadium here, right? And we’re going to tear down a stadium over there that’s full of memories. So, we need to fill this stadium with more memories, and continue our legacy.

“We should remember the past, but embrace the building of our future.”

Pegula teared up as he paid tribute to those who weren’t there for the next step in Bills history — his wife and co-owner Kim, who is battling health issues, and the 10 victims of last year’s mass shooting at a Buffalo grocery store.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who was born about an hour south in Jamestown, N.Y., was among the dignitaries to grab a shovel. Of the 20 or so groundbreaking ceremonies he has attended, this one holds a special place for him, he said.

“None of them are more meaningful than being here today. This is an extraordinary community, they deserve an extraordinary stadium, and you’re going to get it. … Western New Yorkers have always shown that passion for football, for the Bills,” he said.

“The Bills are now secured in Western New York. And that’s something that we should all take great pride in.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 9, 2022; London, United Kingdom; New York Giants co-owner John Mara watches from the sidelines during an NFL International Series game against the Green Bay Packers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NFL will allow teams to play on two short weeks

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NFL teams will be allowed to appear in two Thursday games on short weeks based on a rule change implemented Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix.

The league tabled a vote on permitting flex scheduling for Thursday night games, a tweak that, if ultimately approved, could prevent matchups of losing teams in a prime-time showcase.

The change that was implemented could end up seeing some teams play on Thursday three times. Should a team be scheduled on consecutive Thursdays, only the first of those two games would be considered a short week.

In prior years, every team was assigned at least one Thursday game per season, but that will no longer be a requirement moving forward.

NFL executive vice president and chief media and business officer Brian Rolapp said, “We’re interested in making sure that we get exposure for all of our clubs. We also believe that these national windows are for clubs that are playing well. We want to put the best teams in the best windows.”

As for flex scheduling for Thursday games, New York Giants owner John Mara, who opposes the idea, fears it might pass at the next league meetings in May, according to ESPN.

“At some point, can we please give some consideration to the people who are coming to our games?” Mara said, according to ESPN. “People make plans to go to these games weeks and months in advance. And 15 days ahead of time to say, ‘Sorry, folks, that game you were planning on taking your kids to Sunday at 1, now it’s on Thursday night?’ What are we thinking about?”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell responded to Mara’s remarks by saying, “There isn’t anybody in any of our organization that doesn’t put our fans first. Providing the best matchups for our fans is what we do. That’s part of what our schedule has always focused on. Flex has been part of that. We are very judicious with it and careful with it. We look at all the impacts of that before a decision is made.”

–Field Level Media

Feb 8, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks to the media during a press conference at Phoenix Convention Center prior to Super Bowl LVII. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Ten ex-players sue NFL over disability program

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Willis McGahee is one of 10 former NFL players suing the league, its board of trustees and commissioner Roger Goodell in federal court over its benefits plan, accusing them Thursday of a number of “unscrupulous tactics” to wrongfully avoid paying out disability claims.

The class-action lawsuit was filed in Baltimore in the U.S. District Court of Maryland and lays out what’s described as an “overly aggressive and disturbing pattern” of denying benefits for specious, subjective reasons, making it far more difficult for retired players to receive health care they need after playing in the NFL.

McGahee, a two-time Pro Bowl running back who played for the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns in his 10-year NFL career, is now 41 but told reporters in a virtual news conference that his physician said his arthritis comparable to an 80-year-old.

McGahee said he tried for six years to receive disability payments from the NFL and was denied last year.

“It’s time for me to step up, it’s time for other players to step up and say something,” McGahee told reporters. “We are not just going to sit back and just let it all fall down on us and take the beating.”

The other plaintiffs are Jason Alford, Daniel Loper, Michael McKenzie, Jamize Olawale, Alex Parsons, Charles Sims, Eric Smith, Joey Thomas and Lance Zeno.

Smith played seven seasons as a defensive back for the New York Jets and said in the lawsuit that he had 13 documented traumatic brain injuries in that time.

Smith shared Thursday that he has blacked out and woken up bleeding with “holes in the wall.”

“My wife and kids are crying,” he said. “I went down a dark path.”

The lawsuit is notable at the end of a season that saw Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffer multiple documented concussions — including one just days after he was cleared too soon from the league’s concussion protocol — and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffer cardiac arrest on the field of a game that was eventually abandoned.

One of the lawyers representing the players is Christopher Seeger, who in 2012 worked on the class-action lawsuit in which ex-players accused the NFL of not sufficiently protecting them from concussions and their related dangers. That case has been settled and has paid out more than $1 billion to affected retirees.

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told Reuters in a statement that the disability plan in question has provided more than $330 million to eligible players, and that their standards were developed via consultation with experts in occupational, mental and physical health.

“The NFL-NFLPA disability plan is fair and administered by a professional staff overseen by a board comprised of an equal number of appointees of the NFL Players Association and the league, which includes retired players,” McCarthy wrote.

“This board reviews the activities of the office and operation of the benefit program, including every contested application for benefits, to ensure that retired players who are entitled to disability benefits receive them as intended.”

–Field Level Media

The Buffalo Bills gather while CPR is administered to Damar Hamlin at the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023. Xxx 010223bengalsbills 04 Jpg S Cin Kc Usa Oh

Bills-Bengals canceled; NFL to consider neutral-site AFC title game

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game that was halted Monday when Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin experienced a cardiac arrest on the field will not be resumed or replayed, the NFL announced Thursday night.

As a result, the Bills and Bengals will have their postseason positions determined based on their winning percentage for a 16-game season rather than the 17-game slot played by all other NFL teams.

Due to the resulting disparity, the league recommended changes to playoff ramifications that team owners will consider in a special league meeting Friday. Chiefly, the AFC Championship Game would be played at a neutral site if the home team for that contest ordinarily would have been settled in part by the result of the now-canceled game.

“This has been a very difficult week,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “We continue to focus on the recovery of Damar Hamlin and are encouraged by the improvements in his condition as well as the tremendous outpouring of support and care for Damar and his family from across the country. We are also incredibly appreciative of the amazing work of the medical personnel and commend each and every one of them.”

The league noted in its announcement that no teams will make the playoffs or be eliminated from contention based on the Bills-Bengals game being canceled. The NFL also decided against postponing the entire playoff slate just to make up the game in Cincinnati.

By announcing the decision on the fate of the halted game prior to the Week 18 slate that will conclude the regular season on Sunday, the NFL said that all teams now will enter their finales knowing exactly what scenarios are in play.

The AFC title game would be played at a neutral site if any of three possibilities occur:

–If Buffalo (12-3) and Kansas City (13-3) both win or tie this weekend, a Bills-Chiefs championship game would be held at a neutral site.

–If the Bills and Chiefs both lose this weekend and the Baltimore Ravens (10-6) win or tie, a Buffalo-Kansas City championship game would be played at a neutral site.

–If the Bills and Chiefs both lose and Bengals win, Buffalo-Kansas City or Cincinnati-Kansas City AFC title game would be held at a neutral site.

In addition, if the Ravens defeat the Bengals (11-4) on Sunday, giving Baltimore a season sweep of Cincinnati, the teams would end with the same number of wins, but the Bengals would have fewer losses. Should those teams wind up facing off in a wild-card game, the NFL will hold a coin toss to determine the home team.

The site of any other wild-card game involving either of those teams would be determined per standard procedure.

“As we considered the football schedule, our principles have been to limit disruption across the league and minimize competitive inequities,” Goodell said in a statement. “I recognize that there is no perfect solution. The proposal we are asking the ownership to consider, however, addresses the most significant potential equitable issues created by the difficult, but necessary, decision not to play the game under these extraordinary circumstances.”

–Field Level Media

The Buffalo Bills gather while CPR is administered to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) after a play in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals. Xxx 010223bengalsbills 04 Jpg S Cin Kc Usa Oh

Roger Goodell offers mental health resources, Week 18 update

Posted on | by Field Level Media

No changes were made to the Week 18 NFL schedule as the league prepares to navigate next steps toward returning to the playing field.

Commissioner Roger Goodell outlined evolving plans Tuesday in a memo sent to the NFL’s 32 teams, relaying the league position to not resume, at least this week, Monday’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.

Goodell, who has autonomy in such decisions but said he is consulting the NFLPA, said the NFL remains in constant contact with both teams and medical officials at University of Cincinnati Medical Center regarding the condition of Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Hamlin, 24, was resuscitated on the field by on-site medical personnel after collapsing due to cardiac arrest. The game was postponed in the first quarter after Hamlin was transported by ambulance.

The Bills said Tuesday afternoon Hamlin was in critical condition in the intensive care unit at UCMC.

“After speaking with both teams and NFLPA leadership, I decided to postpone last night’s game and have our focus remain on Damar and his family,” Goodell said in the memo.

“Earlier today, the head of player engagement and team clinician for each club received information from Dr. Nyaka NiiLampti about mental health and support resources that are available to your players and staff. Additional resources including on-site services can be available for any club that wishes this assistance. If your club would like to make use of these additional resources, please have your player engagement lead or team clinician contact Dr. NiiLampti.

“A short time ago, and after discussions with the two teams and the NFLPA, we advised Buffalo and Cincinnati that last night’s game will not be resumed this week. No decision has been made regarding the possible resumption of the game at a later date and we have not announced any changes to this weekend’s schedule. We will promptly advise all clubs of any decisions that are made regarding these matters. If you have any questions in the meantime, please call me or any of our senior staff.”

Multiple games scheduled for Sunday involve playoff berths and playoff seeding. Cincinnati is scheduled to host the Baltimore Ravens, a game that could determine the AFC North division. The outcome of the Monday game against the Bills was intended to be the guide for the kickoff time of this week’s game.

The Bengals, Bills and Kansas City Chiefs — scheduled for the first game of Week 18 on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET in Las Vegas — are vying for the top spot in the AFC.

Buffalo and the New England Patriots are scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday. That game also impacts the AFC playoff picture.

AFC South rivals Tennessee and Jacksonville can both make the playoffs depending on the outcome of other games, but the winner of their Saturday night rematch wins the division and hosts a postseason game the following weekend.

The Titans were one of the few teams who went about their normal workday business on Tuesday. But head coach Mike Vrabel said he first invited players to a team meeting and discussion about Hamlin.

–Field Level Media

Jan 2, 2020; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder speaks during the introductory press conference for head coach Ron Rivera at Inova Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

House Committee: Daniel Snyder allowed toxic culture, NFL aided in cover-up

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder suppressed evidence that he and team executives sexually harassed women who worked at the team for over two decades, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform said Thursday in its final report after a nearly 14-month investigation.

In a 79-page report released Thursday, the Committee detailed the decades-long toxic workplace culture of the Washington franchise, the NFL’s response to the conduct and the league’s burial of a 2020-21 probe of the Commanders’ workplace led by attorney Beth Wilkinson.

The Committee’s report also notes the NFL was complicit in Snyder’s efforts against cooperating with the inquiry and was aware of the interference with the Wilkinson Investigation but failed to take action. It said the league’s mishandling of the investigation reflected “a broader pattern of failing to take workplace misconduct seriously.”

The report also detailed that Snyder “permitted and participated” in the franchise’s toxic work culture and went to great lengths to obstruct the Committee’s inquiry.

“Mr. Snyder was invited to testify at a public hearing but refused to appear and then sought to avoid service of a subpoena while abroad with his yacht,” per the report. “Mr. Snyder ultimately sat for a private deposition but failed to provide full and complete testimony. Over the course of the deposition, he claimed more than 100 times that he could not recall the answers to the Committee’s questions, including basic inquiries about his role as Team owner and multiple allegations of misconduct. Mr. Snyder also gave misleading testimony about his efforts to interfere with the Wilkinson Investigation.”

The report also chastised the NFL for failing to prevent Snyder from interfering with its investigation and for failing to address his conduct.

“The NFL chose to bury Ms. Wilkinson’s findings and whitewash the misconduct it uncovered,” the committee’s report said. “Rather than seek real accountability, the NFL aligned its legal interests with Mr. Snyder’s, failed to curtail his abusive tactics, and buried the investigation’s findings.”

An NFL spokesman told ESPN that the league had not seen the report and would not comment.

–Field Level Media

Nov 11, 2022; Munich, Germany; Large helmets of the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants during fan activation event at Odeonsplatz. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Roger Goodell: ‘At least’ 3 more games coming to Germany

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed Saturday that more NFL games are coming to Germany.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks will play the league’s first regular-season contest in the country on Sunday at Allianz Arena in Munich.

The NFL has committed to playing one more game in Germany in each of the next three seasons through 2025.

Goodell told a fan forum on Saturday that he “wouldn’t be surprised if it expanded beyond that at some point soon,” per the Associated Press.

Germany is the NFL’s top market in Europe. More than 800,000 fans entered a queue to try to get tickets for Sunday’s game, according to Brett Gosper, head of NFL Europe and U.K.

Munich and Frankfurt each will host two games under the current agreement.

–Field Level Media