Members of the media had a chance to ask NFL commissioner Roger Goodell the tough questions during Monday"s Super Bowl press conference and did not hold back.
There were several topics discussed but the issue of lack of diversity in the NFL Media newsroom was a key point brought up by journalist Darren Smith. Smith, who works with KLKC in Kansas, broached the topic by asking the long-serving commissioner why the number of black employees remains so low in the media department.
“I know you don’t run the NFL media newsroom, but you do run the NFL, and they answer to you as well as the 32 owners. As of this press conference, the NFL Media newsroom still employs zero Black managers, zero Black copy editors, zero full-time Black employees on the news desk, and your only full-time Black employee, Larry Campbell, passed away over the weekend," said Smith
In previous years, it was columnist Jim Trotter who proposed a similar question and it seems the situation has not changed year after year. Trotter, who previously worked with NFL Media himself, is currently working with The Athletic.
Goodell did his best to address the issue of diversity in the media department but admitted “I don"t have all the data." The NFL commissioner also disagreed with Smith"s statement that there has been no change.
“I will tell you that [for] the first time, 51 percent of our employees across the league, across the network, across all of our media platforms, not including players, are either people of color or women. First time ever. So progress is being made," added Goodell.
The NFL has made progress when it comes to diversity and measures have been put in place to ensure people are provided with equal opportunities. In the NFL Media newsroom, however, the issue surrounding diversity is yet to be addressed. If Goodell continues to ignore the issue, he will have to continue facing questions like this at the next Super Bowl press conference.
