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Jim Trotter, the former NFL Network reporter now with The Athletic, who had filed a racial discrimination suit against the NFL and NFL Media, announced on social media that a settlement was made in the case. Trotter made the announcement via his X account.
“The NFL and I have agreed to resolve my lawsuit,” Trotter wrote. “I will be creating a scholarship foundation for journalism students at HBCUs, and the NFL has agreed to make a donation in support thereof. I am proud to have the opportunity to help and support HBCU students achieve their goals and dreams, just as scholarships afforded me those opportunities when I was a student at Howard University.”
In 2023, Trotter made headlines for asking Commissioner Roger Goodell about the league’s lack of commitment to diversity in its newsroom at the Super Bowl. His contract would later not be renewed; however, the league maintains that the two incidents are not linked. Trotter declined a three-month severance package from the league because it required him to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Trotter had also accused Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula of making discriminatory comments when asked about player protests and the diversity efforts of the NFL in the lawsuit. Both of the owners denied they made those comments.
Trotter named his new foundation the Work, Plan, Pray Foundation after the late NFL star Junior Seau, who died of suicide in 2012.
