Ex-NFL Media journalist says he’s reached a settlement with the league on discrimination lawsuit

A former NFL Media journalist announced Wednesday that he’s reached a settlement with the NFL to resolve a lawsuit in which he accused the league of refusing to address long-standing institutional discrimination while also alleging his contract was not renewed because he repeatedly voiced concerns regarding equity and racial injustice.

Jim Trotter did not go into detail in announcing the settlement on his X account, except to say the NFL has agreed to make a donation into his newly launched scholarship foundation for journalism students attending historically Black colleges and universities.

“I am proud to have the opportunity to help and support HBCU students to achieve their goals and dreams, just as scholarships afforded me those opportunities when I was a student at Howard University,” Trotter wrote.

David Gottlieb, one of Trotter’s attorneys, release a statement saying, his client “should be applauded for using this opportunity to create a charity with the mission of helping Black sports journalism students and creating more diversity in his field, consistent with the goals of his lawsuit from the start.”

The NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In filing his discrimination and retaliation lawsuit 13 months ago in federal court in New York City, Trotter, who is Black, cited Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula as making racially insensitive comments. Trotter said the concerns he raised with league executives, including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, regarding those comments and the lack of diversity among NFL Media employees fell on deaf ears.

Trotter now works for The Athletic after previously being a reporter for the NFL Network, before his contract was not renewed in March 2023.

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The NFL responded to the lawsuit then by saying: “We take his concerns seriously, but strongly dispute his specific allegations, particularly those made against his dedicated colleagues at NFL Media.”

The NFL said Trotter’s contract was not renewed as a result of business decisions made to address “a challenging economy and a changing media environment.”

Pegula called the allegations against him is false, and Jones issued a statement characterizing Trotter’s version of the conversation as not accurate.

Trotter said he was subjected to discrimination on the basis of his race. He alleged the NFL fostered and condoned a hostile work environment by terminating him.

He was seeking to have a court-ordered monitor put in place to investigate and review the NFL’s policies and implement necessary changes on its hiring, retention and advancement of Black employees throughout its organization.

The lawsuit said NFL Media did not have a single Black person in a managerial position or on its news desk.