By Amy Tennery
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Monday he had no plans to scale back on diversity programs, after U.S. President Donald Trump called for similar initiatives to be dismantled within the federal government and urged private companies to do the same.
Trump last month issued a sweeping executive order directing federal agencies to terminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and some private companies have ended or scaled back DEI initiatives, fearing a conservative backlash.
Facing reporters in a wide-ranging media conference ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, Goodell said the most popular professional league in the country had no interest in following suit.
“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,” said Goodell, speaking from the Caesars Superdome, where the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
“We’re going to continue those efforts because we’ve not only convinced ourselves, I think we’ve proven ourselves that it does make the NFL better.
“We’re not in this because it’s a trend to get in or a trend to get out of it.”
The NFL has been dogged for years by criticism over its homogenous coaching ranks and in 2020 expanded its so-called “Rooney Rule” to improve diversity, part of a years-long effort.
It adopted several resolutions aimed at boosting diversity among coaching and front-office personnel in 2022.
“Our efforts are fundamental in trying to attract the best possible talent into the National Football League both on and off the field,” said Goodell.
“We see how it’s benefited the National Football League and so I think we’ll continue those efforts.”
The comments stood in opposition to Trump, who suggested without evidence last week that a deadly mid-air collision between two aircraft in Washington was the result of diversity efforts at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
Trump has several allies among the league’s ownership ranks, including New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, who served in the previous Trump administration as the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reportedly made a substantial donation to Trump’s inaugural committee, while New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross have also been linked to Trump in the past.
“Our owners participate in everything that we do,” said Goodell. “Our policies have been designed to be well within the law, well within the practice. There are no quotas in our system. This is about … bringing the best talent into the NFL.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New Orleans; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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