The NFL is adjusting its on-field messaging for Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, but its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion remains firm, according to Commissioner Roger Goodell.
For the first time since 2021, the phrase “End Racism” will not appear in the end zones. Instead, the league will feature “Choose love” and “It takes all of us.” The change comes as many corporations have scaled back DEI initiatives following Donald Trump’s return to office last month. However, Goodell emphasized that the league’s DEI efforts are not dictated by trends.
Goodell stated that DEI practices have strengthened the league, offering new perspectives and attracting better talent. “Whether they’re women or men or people of color, we make ourselves stronger and we make ourselves better when we have that,” he confirmed.
The NFL has faced scrutiny over its diversity in hiring, but Goodell reaffirmed that the league would not abandon its initiatives despite external pressures. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has pushed to end DEI programs, yet the NFL remains steadfast.
However, former NFL player and U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, disagrees. He told NewsNation’s “The Hill” that DEI has not improved the league, recalling a different atmosphere during his playing days.
“The league, when I was playing, was always a uniter,” Owens said. “It was a place where people could go and forget their differences and pull for their team.”
Owens argued that if Goodell truly believed in DEI, he would enforce it in player roster decisions.
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