PALM BEACH, Fla. – Last month, the National Football League pledged to make diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) a higher priority across its 32 teams. Monday at the league's Annual Meeting, the NFL followed through by announcing it had established a Diversity Advisory Committee.
The six-member panel, which includes external experts from the academic, legal, DEI, football, and corporate worlds, will have its first meeting in the coming weeks, according to an official declaration from the league. This new group is expected to provide its perspective on industry best practices and evaluate league and club DEI strategies and initiatives, focusing primarily on senior-level coach and front office personnel hirings.
However, the league emphasized that diversity among its 32-member ownership will be addressed as well. In a joint statement issued by all the teams, the league promised that, when evaluating a prospective ownership group in the future, it would be regarded as "a positive and meaningful factor if the group includes diverse individuals … including [those] serving as the controlling owner of the club."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was quoted in the announcement as saying that he hoped this new effort would help create "a more inclusive league."
