Civil rights leaders meet with Arthur Blank, other NFL team owners on diversity in hiring

arthur blank
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank watches his players warm up before an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex, File)

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and a few team owners and executives met Thursday with civil rights leaders, who urged the league to make drastic changes to its hiring practices to improve diversity in leadership positions.

Goodell was joined on the video call by Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II, Atlanta Falcons owner and chairman Arthur Blank, Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwell, Baltimore Ravens executive vice president Ozzie Newsome, Houston Texans limited partner Javier Loya, and other top NFL executives.

National Urban League president and CEO Marc H. Morial told the group the NFL’s focus on racial equity and social justice recently hasn’t yet resulted in improved hiring procedures for the league’s head coaches.