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On Wednesday, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said that the National Football League is working constructively to tackle sexual-orientation-based discrimination. The statement was in response to allegations made earlier this year by three college football players who said that they were questioned about their sexual orientation during NFL recruitment interviews.
Schneiderman also said that according to discussions with his office, the NFL has agreed to display posters in locker rooms emphasizing the anti-discrimination rules of the league, and all 32 teams in the league will undergo training on the matter. Besides the team players, those involved in hiring and recruiting would also have to undergo training so that such discrimination does not occur again.
The NFL has also committed that it will improve ways to report harassment and will periodically report its progress to the office of the New York Attorney General.
The discrimination came to notice after three college football players from Michigan told news media that during the NFL’S Scouting Combine, which is a recruitment event, they had been asked whether they liked girls or not, and whether they had girlfriends.
This led Schneiderman’s office to investigate the issue and review the anti-discrimination policies of NFL.
NFL spokesman Greg Airello said in a statement, “My office is committed to ensuring equal protection under the law for all employees and job applicants no matter where they work.”
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Airello admitted, “After the Combine, we reviewed our long-standing, anti-discrimination policy and discussed it with our teams at our league meeting in March.” He further added, “Discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated in any form.”
The NFL Players Association also welcomed and lauded the efforts to create a more inclusive environment at the NFL. The president of the NFLPA, Domonique Foxworth said in a statement, “The NFLPA appreciates Attorney General Schneiderman’s leadership to ending discrimination and to hold the NFL owners accountable to the highest professional standards in our workplace.”
