Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank criticized efforts in some states, like his home of Georgia, that are seeking to restrain diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Blank, when asked at the NFL annual owners’ meeting Tuesday about efforts in some southern states to restrict DEI, said: “DEI covers all of us, whether you’re White or Black or Hispanic, or whatever you may be. So I’d be very much opposed to that. And you know, cutting back I mean.”
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Politicians in states such as Georgia, Florida and Texas have come out against DEI efforts, which strive to make hiring more representative of a variety of demographics.
But Blank, who is on the NFL’s DEI committee and donates to the Atlanta-based National Center for Civil and Human Rights, said DEI is a growing need in America. “The notion of pluralism and acceptance of everybody based on who they are and what they are and what they can do, et cetera, that should be the highest priority for our nation,” he said. “And certainly, in terms of job placement, job opportunities, things of that nature. So I would not politically or socially be in favor” of efforts to roll back DEI.
Under NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the league has made DEI a foundational effort. During the owners’ meeting, the league agreed to new policies that recommend teams hire third-party DEI consultants to advise on hiring and designate a lead coordinator among co-coordinators so the Rooney Rule applies. Additionally, each club will be required to designate a DEI lead executive. Currently, 15 teams have such roles.
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The latest DEI efforts by the league follow several recent policy changes, ranging from expanding the Rooney Rule to creating a DEI Advisory Council. The NFL adopted the Rooney Rule in 2002, requiring teams to interview a minority candidate for head coach openings. The league ramped up DEI efforts in the last few years as minority head-coaching progress regressed. And while head-coaching hires still have lagged, in other positions there has been a notable improvement in minority hiring.
“Of particular highlight was the fact that we are now at nine GMs who are people of color, eight of which are Black, which is something that we’re certainly proud of,” said Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s chief diversity officer. Beane noted that’s the highest number of Black GMs the league has had, and that seven team presidents are people of color — and three of them women.
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That Blank chose to address the national political question is noteworthy given the heated nature of the public discourse surrounding the topic. By contrast, Beane was asked the same question and demurred.
“We don’t really get involved in what’s going on with the states,” he said. “What we’re focused on is what’s going on in the National Football League. We have our strategy, we have our vision, we have our goals and we’re going to continue that. That’s not going to stop, so we’re not really concerned about what’s going on specifically in the states as it relates to what our priorities are.”
(Photo: Jim Dedmon / USA Today)