Roger Goodell has more gravitas than all of the billionaire tech bros combined. As the richest people in the world and major companies bow to the convicted felon president and his dismantling of diversity initiatives, the NFL commissioner is standing strong.
On Monday, Goodell was asked about the league’s DEI practices during his annual pre-Super Bowl conference. He affirmed the league’s commitment to inclusion, saying the league’s efforts to broaden its hiring practices aren’t the result of a political fab.
Goodell genuinely believes the NFL is better when its workforce is more diverse.
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“We got into diversity efforts because we felt it was the right thing. And we’re going to continue those efforts,” he said. “We’ve not only convinced ourselves, but I think we’ve proven ourselves 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. Our efforts are fundamental in trying to attract the best possible talent to the National Football League.”
As the steward of the country’s most powerful entertainment force–72 of the 100 most-watched telecasts last year were NFL games–Goodell is used to being under fire. He’s perhaps the most-maligned exec in the country, with fans cussing out his name every Sunday due to a myriad of perceived slights against their favorite teams (case in point: he responded to a question Monday about whether the league is “rigging” games for the Kansas City Chiefs).
Perhaps nobody has come after Goodell harder than the current White House occupant himself, who lambasted the league throughout the 2017 season for permitting players to take a knee during the national anthem. He called the (mostly Black) players “sons of b*tches” and caused the league’s owners to convene a special meeting.
The NFL again found itself in the convicted felon president’s crosshairs in 2020, when it embraced the nationwide racial justice movement.
While many of the NFL’s billionaire overlords are ardent rightwing supporters, Goodell hasn’t caved. In fact, the NFL has bolstered its Rooney Rule, mandating that teams interview at least two people of color or women for any vacant head coach or general manager position.
Goodell defended the practice Monday as well.
“For us, there’s no requirement to hire a particular individual on a basis of race or gender,” he said. “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 opening that funnel and bringing the best talent into the NFL.”
In a world of nepo babies and undeserving ascendants, pro sports are arguably the last true meritocracy. In the NFL, your surname or personal relationships will only get you so far.
If you can play, you’ll play. If not, you’ll be cut.
Let’s put it this way: no head coach would ever name Pete Hegseth his starting QB.
That’s why the NFL and pro sports are insulated from the anti-DEI craze. Nobody with a straight face can argue that coaches are concerned with anything else besides putting the best team on the field.
The culture of unfettered meritocracy is one reason why Carl Nassib was embraced as an out gay player. His teammates knew that he worked to be on the field like everybody else. They’re all football players, with one common goal.
In recent years, the NFL has prioritized its LGBTQ+ outreach efforts. The league donates annually to The Trevor Project and bolsters the National Gay Flag Football League. Multiple clubs, including the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders, have their own Pride initiatives. (At each of the last three Super Bowls, the NFL has partnered with GLAAD to host a “Night of Pride.”)
There are also multiple out league execs, including senior vice president of labor finance Christine Vicari and senior director for diversity, equity and inclusion Sam Rapoport.
Kevin Maxen is an out gay strength coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Katie Sowers made history five years ago as the first out gay person to coach in the Super Bowl.
In an interview with Outsports, Goodell, who has a gay brother, said supporting the league’s LGBTQ+ employees is non-negotiable.
“Both publicly and privately, I’ve made clear that if any member of the NFL family comes out, we will have their back,” he said.
With more than 50% of players being Black and only four Black head coaches, the NFL still has a long way to go when it comes to evening out hiring practices. But it’s a mission that Goodell is committed to.
He doesn’t care which way the political wind is blowing.
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