NFL Spokesman Brian McCarthy announced the decision, saying the league made the call after the series of tragedies that have struck the country since the beginning of the year, such as the New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans, the wildfires in Los Angeles, and the mid-air collision that killed 67 passengers and crew aboard an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter last week in Washington, D.C.
“We felt it was an appropriate statement for what the country has collectively endured, given recent tragedies, and can serve as an inspiration,” McCarthy told The Athletic.
The NFL began using the slogan “End Racism” after a violent and bloody summer in 2020 following the death of George Floyd, in which dozens of U.S. cities and towns became engulfed in anti-police riots and demonstrations.
The announcement is somewhat surprising, given that Commissioner Roger Goodell staunchly defended the league’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices on Monday and vowed to continue them despite President Trump’s efforts to shut down DEI offices.
“We got into diversity efforts because we felt like it was the right thing for the National Football League, and we’re going to continue those efforts because we’ve not only convinced ourselves, we’ve proven ourselves, that it does make the NFL better,” Goodell said. “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 in the National Football League, both on and off the field, as I said previously. We see that. We see how it benefits the National Football League, and so I think we’ll continue those efforts.”
Goodell continued, “I think it’s also clearly a reflection on our fan base and our communities and our players. People talk a lot about the Rooney Rule… for us there’s no requirement to hire a particular individual on the basis of race or gender. It’s simply on the basis of looking at a campus of candidates that reflect our communities and to look at the kind of talent that exists there, and then you make the best decision on who is hired.”
The point about DEI reflecting the “fan base” is open to debate. Hundreds of DEI offices in both the public and private sectors have voluntarily or involuntarily been shut down in the weeks since President Trump took office. To date, the vast majority of the small amount of public outcry against those efforts has come from elected officials, the media, and those employed in the DEI industry.
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