NFL faces public backlash, unresolved media deals at 2021 fall

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis sat down in the lobby of a New York City hotel on Wednesday, and was quickly bombarded by media members.

Davis was one of the few National Football League owners who didn’t rush to depart the InterContinental Hotel after the league concluded its 2021 fall meetings. He even smiled while answering about 20 minutes of questions about the state of pro football.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell held the first in-person meetings with team owners in over 600 days this week, and the sessions came as numerous scandals swirled around league ownership. There’s the public backlash from the leaked emails containing racist and homophobic remarks, which led to the ouster of Raiders coach Jon Gruden. Meanwhile, congress is looking into the NFL’s handling of the Washington Football Team’s workplace misconduct.

When it comes to revenue, certain media rights remain up in the air, and the offseason pre-draft NFL combine may be headed to a new location.

As the NFL enters week eight of its season, Davis, was asked to describe the state of the NFL.

“I really can’t describe it,” Davis said. “I know where the Raiders stand.”

Davis confirmed that the Raiders agreed to a financial settlement with Gruden, who signed a 10-year $100 million deal to coach the team in 2018. Gruden resigned earlier this month after emails from him were leaked containing racist and homophobic language.

Davis said that if the NFL knew about the emails, it could’ve addressed the matter before the season.

“We all have demons in our lives,” he said. “You have to understand that. And then, you have also look at redemption as well.”

The emails were uncovered as part of an investigation into the Washington Football Team.

The NFL has obtained over 600,000 emails stemming from a probe into workplace culture at the WFT, which is owned by Dan Snyder. Last July, an investigation into the team found the club presented a “highly unprofessional” workplace, especially for women. The NFL fined the team $10 million, and Snyder agreed to step aside, turning over day-to-day control to his wife, Tanya.

The NFL thought the matter was resolved until the New York Times reported that Gruden used offensive comments in emails to then WFT president Bruce Allen over seven years. That was while Gruden was an employee at ESPN.

Former female employees of WFT crashed the NFL meetings to request documents about the investigation be released publicly. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform also sent a letter to Goodell asking that records tied to the investigation be turned over by Nov. 4.

Goodell addressed the matter on Tuesday. He said it would be “difficult” to provide additional detail, citing the league’s promise to protect the anonymity of the over 150 people interviewed. He said the NFL…