Trump is definitely going to bully Roger Goodell and the NFL — again
The Commissioner said the league is sticking with DEI as POTUS is scheduled to attend an extra-Black Super Bowl in an extra-Black city
On Sunday, in a stadium where hurricane survivors once took shelter, two Black quarterbacks will take the field — again — in the world’s biggest annual sporting event. Kendrick Lamar will perform at halftime, while other Black musicians will take the “stage” pregame. The Black national anthem will also be sung. Trump and his crew will be there for it all.
Get ready for the “Truth Social” posts.
Twenty years ago, a rapper told us that a white president “didn’t care about Black people.” On Sunday, Kendrick Lamar has the chance to speak even more truth to power about a president who has shown us for decades that he despises Black people. If you need proof, look up The Exonerated Five, his former Black tenants and employees, the Birther Movement, and Project 2025.
In case you forgot what happened in the NFL the last time Trump was in office, many championship teams stopped making trips to the White House — as it drew a line in the sand for where coaches, programs, schools, and franchises stood politically. Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid, and the Player’s Coalition happened. Who did and didn’t kneel became a weekly headline, and a national anthem policy came and went.
However, there was one "positive." We got better Super Bowl halftime shows because Jay-Z sold out and did a deal with the league. Nelly, Snoop, Rick Ross, and Soulja Boy were just following in Hov’s footsteps.
But, oddly enough, on Monday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would continue its DEI efforts — despite how surface level they can be — in a country in which Trump’s administration has turned the phrase into a four-letter word.
“We got into diversity efforts because we felt it was the right thing for the National Football League,” he said. “And we’re going to continue towards that, 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 into or a trend to get out of it,” he added. “Our efforts are fundamental in trying to attract the best possible talent into the National Football League both on and off the field, as I’ve said previously. We see that. We see how it’s benefitted in the National Football League. I think we’ll continue those efforts. I think it’s also clearly a reflection of our fan base and our communities and our players.”
If you watched the press conference on NFL Network, you saw that Black journalists like Jonathan Jones, Jason Reid, Bill Rhoden, Jarrett Bell, Josina Anderson, Terence Moore, and D. Orlando Ledbetter were all sitting in the same vicinity. It was as if Beverly Daniel Tatum’s bestselling 1997 book, “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race,” had come to life. Every question that dealt with DEI or the Rooney Rule was asked by journalists who's a minority (white women included) — people who Trump would consider “DEI hires,” despite their credentials.
Last year, in that same press conference, Rhoden asked Goodell a very important question: “In a very contentious political cycle getting ready to come up, would you rather players just kind of stay out of it, or did that five-year period [the past] teach you or give you comfort that ‘voice’ is good? That you prefer players to have voice?”
Goodell responded with: “I do prefer our players have voices. And I would tell you that I learned an awful lot from our players. Not just during that period of time, but every single day.”
I found the answer to be hilarious in a post-Colin Kaepernick NFL. A few weeks later, I wrote about why people shouldn’t take Goodell at his word, as I described this scenario:
“But, what kind of voices would you prefer, Roger?
If someone like Nick Bosa — with the reputation he’s created for himself — uses his voice, which would be for things that are against what the NFL “claims” they don’t stand for, the league would be put in an interesting spot.”
By November, Bosa was fined $11,255 for violating the league’s uniform and equipment rules after wearing a 'MAGA' hat and crashing his teammate’s postgame television interview. And when he was asked about why he did it, he went mute. That’s how cowards behave.
“On the media end, it becomes important to ask people questions when they ask for attention. He wanted the attention for what he did. Give it to him!” demanded Bomani Jones on his podcast about the incident. “I’m not telling that man to shut up and rush the passer. No, I’m telling him to do the opposite. I’m saying speak up, playboy. I can’t really understand what it is that you’re talking about, but I’d like to know a little bit more about your position. Could you tell me, please?”
All of what I mentioned above, and the countless things I left out that have occurred since 2016 between the NFL and how they intersect with Trump’s politics are examples of why Goodell’s stance was so odd, given that this country’s most popular sports league tends to cower to one man.
Coincidently, Goodell’s press conference took place at a time in which sports and pop culture are proving just how much they’re intertwined with politics. At Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, multiple stars chided Trump. Citizens in Canada are booing the American national anthem at sporting events due to Trump’s tariffs. And even the Met Gala is going full “DEI,” as LeBron James will serve as the honorary chair at this year’s event which is themed; “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”
Wait…
Is the NFL about to lead the charge in standing against Trump and protecting diversity, equity, and inclusion?
Hell no.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the league was removing “End Racism” from the end zone for the Super Bowl as Trump plans to attend. Ben & Jerry’s — an ice cream company — has more heart than the NFL.
