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Journalist and Howard University alumnus Jim Trotter's lawsuit against the NFL received a major update on Wednesday afternoon. Trotter took to his X account to announce that both he and the NFL have agreed to settle the lawsuit, with the league pledging to donate to Trotter's scholarship for HBCU students.
“The NFL and I have agreed to resolve my lawsuit,” Trotter said in the statement posted to X. “I will be creating a scholarship foundation for journalism students at HBCUs and the NFL has agreed to make a donation in support thereof. I am proud to have the opportunity to help and support HBCU students achieve their goals and dreams, just as scholarships afforded me those opportunities when I was a student at Howard University.”
Per the website, Trotter's Work, Plan, Pray Foundation aims to provide scholarships to HBCU students, providing them resources to jumpstart careers in sports media and sports management.
Trotter states on the website of the foundation, “My goal is to bridge that gap by awarding scholarships and resources to deserving HBCU students and by contributing to programs and centers seeking to develop HBCU students into tomorrow’s leaders. As the son of a single mom who raised four kids on a social worker’s salary, money was hard to come by. Thankfully, I received a tuition scholarship for my final two years at Howard University, which allowed me to focus on becoming the best version of my future professional self. My hope is that the WORK, PLAN, PRAY FOUNDATION will do the same for the next generation of sports journalists and professionals.”
The foundation is named in honor of Junior Seau, whom Trotter reported on during his time at the San Diego Union-Tribune. He spoke about the Seau on the Foundation's website.
“Seau was a giving soul who often ended speaking engagements by reminding the audience to work for today, plan for tomorrow, and pray for the rest. I could think of no greater way to thank him and carry on his legacy of giving than by amplifying his words in the name of this foundation.”
Trotter is an alumnus of Howard University, graduating with a Bachelors in Communications in 1986. While a student at Howard, he served as the sports editor for the famed school newspaper The Hilltop. He previously worked with the NFL Network, eventually bringing a lawsuit against the NFL for the league's record of “race discrimination and lack of diversity,” per a September 2023 report by CNN.
In March 2023, Trotter announced that his contract with NFL Network would not be renewed, concluding a partnership that began in 2018. In his lawsuit, Trotter claims that Sandra Nunez, Vice President of On-Air Talent Management, questioned him about his alignment with the NFL following his public challenge and criticism of Roger Goodell regarding the league's diversity and inclusion issues. After he expressed his disagreement, his contract was not renewed.
Trotter also detailed experiences of discrimination with several members of league personnel. Most notably he said that Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula said, “If the Black players don’t like it here, they should go back to Africa and see how bad it is.” He also alleged that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in an interview with him about a lack of black coaches and front office leaders in the NFL, “If Blacks feel some kind of way, they should buy their own team and hire who they want to hire.”
Both Jones and Pegula vehemently denied the accusations. In a statement obtained by Pro Football Talk, Attorney David Gottlieb of Wigdor LLP spoke about the settlement.
“Jim’s courage and devotion to his principles is self-evident, and it has been an honor to represent him. Jim should be applauded for using this opportunity to create a charity with the mission of helping Black sports journalism students and creating more diversity in his field, consistent with the goals of his lawsuit from the start. Our firm is also providing a contribution to this important charitable endeavor.”
