Jim Trotter settles lawsuit against NFL

Former NFL Network employee Jim Trotter had a tiger by the tail. And the tiger knew it.

Trotter’s lawsuit against the league has been resolved. While the terms are and will remain confidential (which is almost always the case in any piece of employment litigation), we’ll surmise that the NFL made Trotter an offer he couldn’t in good conscience refuse.

Litigation contains plenty of uncertainty, expense, and delay. And even if/when you win (say, for example, a $4.7 billion verdict), you can still lose (say, for example, when the judge throws out the verdict a month later).

It becomes a business decision, for both sides. For Trotter, who was committed to exposing an underbelly that usually remains tucked safely behind The Shield, it surely took more than “nuisance value” to get him to stand down. For the NFL, which faced a rash of depositions and discovery requests that might have proven Trotter’s theory that he became persona non grata when he opted to press Commissioner Roger Goodell — twice — at Super Bowl press conferences about representation issues in the newsroom, it made sense to buy certainty. And to avoid what would have been, win or lose, a certainly embarrassing trial.

Trotter has created the Work, Plan, Pray Foundation, which will “aid students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities with scholarships and resources as they pursue degrees in sports journalism and sports management.”

“As someone who has been a professional journalist for nearly four decades, it pains me that more African Americans are not at the table when determining what is a story, who will cover a story, and how a story will be framed — particularly when it involves African American athletes, coaches and executives,” Trotter said at the foundation’s website. “Too often, these individuals’ life experiences and cultural experiences are not represented during coverage discussions, which ultimately contributes to a mistrust of the media.”

The name comes from the late Junior Seau, whom Trotter covered when he worked for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“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,” Trotter explained at the foundation’s website. “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.”

Attorney David Gottlieb of Wigdor LLP confirmed the settlement to PFT.

“Jim’s courage and devotion to his principles is self-evident, and it has been an honor to represent him,” Gottlieb said in a statement. “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.”

While it would have been informative and compelling to get to the bottom of why the NFL fired Trotter, he wouldn’t have released the tiger’s tail without good reason for doing so. Whatever the amount of the settlement, it has enabled Jim Trotter to create and to support a very good cause.

Visit the Work, Plan, Pray Foundation website, if you’d like to support the effort, too.