Cowboys GM Jerry Jones shuts down racism allegations from NFL reporter Jim Trotter - "Simply not accurate"
Jim Trotter, formerly of NFL media, had implicated Jerry Jones in a lawsuit that claimed that the Cowboys owner and general manager had used racist language.
The lawsuit centers around Trotter's decision to not renew his contract. He alleges that it was because of racial bias, espcially after he had highlighted lack of diversity among executives, coaches and journalists.
Particularly around Jerry Jones, the lawsuit says that he opined:
“If Blacks feel some kind of way, they should buy their own team and hire who they want to hire.”
Jim Trotter further alleged that he was asked not to air what Jones had allegedly said. The NFL media earlier put out a statment saying that he was let go due to budget constraints:
“We take his concerns seriously, but strongly dispute his specific allegations, particularly those made against his dedicated colleagues at NFL Media."
Now, Jerry Jones has disputed the allegations:
"Diversity and inclusion are extremely important to me personally and to the NFL. The representation made by Jim Trotter of a conversation that occurred over three years ago with myself and our VP of Player Personnel Will McClay is simply not accurate."
Jerry Jones not the only owner at the center of Jim Trotter's lawsuit
Apart from Jerry Jones, Jim Trotter made explosive claims against Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pagula. At the height of the George Floyd protests in 2020, with the NFL changing course with how they treated the idea of "Black Lives Matter", the Bills owner had reportedly said:
“If the Black players don’t like it here, they should go back to Africa and see how bad it is.”
Apparently, a fellow journalist of Trotter's witnessed it and asked the NFL media to open an investigation, only to be reportedly told that the league was investigating it.
Pegula denied the allegations:
“The statement attributed to me in Mr Trotter’s complaint is absolutely false. I am horrified that anyone would connect me to an allegation of this kind. Racism has no place in our society, and I am personally disgusted that my name is associated with this complaint.”
The lawsuit is among the latest to hit the NFL alleging racial bias. Previously, Brian Flores had claimed discriminatory practices in hiring and Colin Kaepernick.
That waas famously settled with the league after he was reportedly frozen out because of social justice stances. Issues with Jon Gruden and former Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder have also highlighted previous corroborated instances of phobia in the league.