Journalist Jim Trotter announced Wednesday that he has settled his retaliation lawsuit against the NFL. The former NFL Network reporter, who now works for The Athletic, released a statement about the deal on social media.
“The NFL and I have agreed to resolve my lawsuit,” Trotter said in the statement.. “I will be creating a scholarship foundation for journalism students at HBCUs and the NFL has agreed to make a donation to support it. I am proud to have the opportunity to help and support HBCU students achieve their goals and dreams, just as the scholarships. those opportunities when I was a student at Howard University.
Trotter named his new foundation the Work, Plan, Pray Foundation in honor of the late NFL star Junior Seau, who committed suicide in 2012. Trotter covered Seau when he worked for the San Diego Union-Tribune and says Seau “took me under his wing and taught me about the culture of a locker room and the mentality of an elite professional athlete. He explained on the foundation’s website why he chose “Work, Plan, Pray” as the name.
“Seau was a generous soul who often ended his lectures by reminding his audience to work for today, plan for tomorrow and pray for the rest,” Trotter said. “I can think of no better way to thank him and continue his legacy of generosity than to amplify his words on behalf of this foundation.”
On the foundation’s website, Trotter notes that the lack of Black voices in sports media often creates distrust of the media, as Black fans don’t see anyone who represents their life and cultural experiences. The foundation’s goal is to engage more Black voices in sports journalism and sports management by offering resources, both financial and otherwise, to help interested students overcome the obstacles that stand between them and a college education.
Trotter made headlines in February 2023 when he used the Super Bowl press conference with commissioner Roger Goodell to press Goodell about the lack of Black executives and news editors at NFL Media, which the NFL owns and operates. (Trotter had asked Goodell a similar question at the previous year’s Super Bowl press conference.) A month later, Trotter announced that he was leaving NFL Network because his contract had not been renewed.
Six months later, in September 2023, Trotter sued the NFL for retaliation, alleging that his contract had not been renewed because he publicly questioned Goodell about the NFL’s history of racial discrimination and lack of diversity. In the lawsuit, Trotter also accused Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula of making discriminatory comments when asked about player protests and the NFL’s diversity efforts. . Both Jones and Pegula denied making those comments.