Uncategorized

Goodell: Diversity in coach/executive hirings must improve

Published

6 years ago

January 30, 2020

MIAMI (AP) — Stopping short of saying the Rooney Rule is not working, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell noted Wednesday the league needs change to its minority hiring policy.

Though the league requires teams to interview minority candidates, only two African-Americans have been hired for 19 open head coaching spots over the past three years. The league has only two minority general managers among the 32 teams.

“Clearly we are not where we want to be on this level,″ he said at his annual Super Bowl news conference. “We have a lot of work that has gone into not only the Rooney Rule but our policy overall. It’s clear we need change and do something different.

“There’s no reason to expect we’re going to have a different outcome next year without those kinds of changes and we’ve already begun engaging in those changes. Not just with our diversity committee, not just with the Fritz Pollard Alliance, but others. And trying to figure out what steps we could take next that would lead to better outcomes. It’s clear we’re all committed to doing that, and we have to make those changes.

“We will have a series of meetings which we’ve already scheduled over the next month to get that kind of dialogue going, to continue the dialogue to try to determine what are the solutions so we can have those better outcomes, he added.”

The Rooney Rule, which has been adopted by other leagues and businesses, calls for a minority candidate to be interviewed for head coaching and executive openings such as general managers. Critics have said those interviews are often simply token responses to the rule and that the minority candidates are not seriously considered for those positions.

Goodell also addressed negotiations between the NFL Players Association and the league on a new labor deal. The current 10-year contract runs out in March 2021 and there is optimism on both fronts that a new deal would be finalized before this March when the 2020 league year begins.

“We’ve been having incredibly productive dialogue,″ Goodell said. ”I think we’ve made a lot of progress at now seven or eight months since we began those discussions more formally.

“I think we’ve addressed difficult issues that face our league going forward and looking forward. I think both the players and management and everyone at the negotiations have worked to try to find creative solutions to make the NFL better and that’s what you want.″

As for putting a timetable on a potential agreement, Goodell wouldn’t speculate.

“The process will close when the process closes, when all of us feel comfortable that we’ve reached an agreement that we want to go forward with,” he said. “I don’t know when that will be. I think it’s more important to get it right.”

One of the major bargaining points of a new CBA is adding a 17th regular-season game, presumably to be played at neutral sites. Asked if that didn’t fit with the league’s emphasis on player safety, Goodell said all metrics are showing the game is safer than ever.

Concussions, though, were up slightly last season, and lower extremity injuries have become a major focus for the league’s medical staff.

“Safety has been at the forefront and our No. 1 priority of our players,” he said, mentioning data that shows which “techniques should be taken out of the game,″ thus affecting rules changes.

“For us, the data is the key component to what we want to do in changing the season. We don’t look at it as just we (will) have a 17th game. We look at the entire season, the offseason, training camp, how we prepare our players to get ready for the season, how we practice during the season. So all those changes and taking techniques out of those games has made our game safer.”

On other topics:

—The NFL will return to play a regular-season game in Mexico City this season and next. It will be the fifth and sixth games played at Azteca Stadium. Goodell said dates and teams will be announced when the schedule is revealed in early spring.

— The latest probe into Patriots videotaping shenanigans is not completed. The NFL is in no rush to reach a conclusion about the video of the Bengals sideline being taken for a Patriots website. Patriots coach Bill Belichick has said he never viewed the footage and the team maintains the purpose of the filming was for an illustration of the work team advance scouts do while on the road. The team says it accepts full responsibility for the crew’s actions.

Goodell disagreed with the presumption it was a simple investigation.

— The NFL’s main goal regarding the case involving receiver Antonio Brown is to help him be successful in life. He did not offer any updates on where the investigation stands regarding the troubled receiver, who was released by the Patriots this season when allegations of sex abuse surfaced. Brown has since had a series of off-field incidents. Any return to the league is contingent on his being cleared to play again by the NFL.

— Goodell hinted that the next open Super Bowl would be awarded by the end of the calendar year when asked whether Las Vegas is in line for such a game. The next four Super Bowls will be in Tampa, Los Angeles, the Phoenix area, and New Orleans.

He also said the NFL is not married to the defending Super Bowl champions hosting the Thursday night kickoff game for the season. That could bring the opening of the new Las Vegas or Los Angeles stadiums into play for that prime-time spot.

North Florida News

Gov. Ron DeSantis Names Alex Peraza to Miami-Dade Judicial Nominating Commission

Published

2 months ago

March 13, 2026

Willie David

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FNN) — Ron DeSantis announced Friday the appointment of Alex Peraza to the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission, which serves Miami-Dade County.

Peraza, of Coral Gables, is a partner at Diamond Kaplan & Rothstein, P.A., a law firm based in South Florida.

The Judicial Nominating Commission is responsible for reviewing and recommending qualified candidates for judicial appointments within the circuit.

Peraza earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and his juris doctor from the University of Florida. His appointment term will run through July 1, 2027.

Florida

Advocates Oppose Florida Medicaid Work Reporting Bill, Cite “Deathbed Exemption” and Coverage Gap Risks

Published

2 months ago

March 2, 2026

FNN NEWS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FNN) — A Florida Senate committee on Monday advanced SB 1758, legislation that would impose Medicaid work reporting requirements in a state that has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Advocates say the proposal would push thousands of low-income Floridians into the state’s existing coverage gap and create new administrative barriers for people with serious illnesses.

The bill goes beyond the recently passed federal measure, H.R. 1 — known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — which exempts non-expansion states from federal Medicaid work reporting requirements. Critics argue Florida lawmakers are moving forward despite that exemption.

Bill Would Add Work Reporting and “Deathbed Exemption”

SB 1758 would require certain Medicaid recipients to document at least 80 hours per month of work or qualifying activities to maintain coverage. The bill includes exemptions, including a recently added provision that would exempt terminally ill parents only if they can prove a life expectancy of six months or less.

Sadaf Knight, CEO of Florida Policy Institute, said the amendment would require a single mother who is terminally ill and earning less than $8,000 a year to meet monthly work reporting requirements unless she can demonstrate a six-month prognosis.

“It is hard to grasp how we arrived at a policy that effectively asks someone facing the end of their life to prove they are dying quickly enough to keep their Medicaid,” Knight said.

Opponents say the proposal would increase administrative costs while stripping coverage from residents who are already working or unable to work due to caregiving responsibilities or medical conditions.

Advocates Warn of Coverage Gap, Legal and Fiscal Risks

Florida is one of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid, leaving an estimated 260,000 residents in the coverage gap — earning too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid but too little to receive federal marketplace subsidies.

More than two dozen organizations signed a letter urging members of the Senate Appropriations Committee to reject the bill. Signatories include the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Southern Poverty Law Center, UnidosUS, The AIDS Institute, Florida Policy Institute, Florida Voices for Health and 1199SEIU.

Melanie Williams of Florida Health Justice Project called the bill “fiscally reckless,” noting that the state has already spent $1 million defending wrongful Medicaid terminations in federal court and that the Department of Children and Families has reported budget constraints in addressing court-mandated changes.

Rachel Klein of The AIDS Institute said federal law prohibits non-expansion states from implementing Medicaid work requirements and warned the measure could face legal challenges. Others argued the costs of building a new reporting system would outweigh any potential savings.

Advocates say the Legislature should focus instead on expanding access to affordable coverage amid rising health care costs and expiring enhanced premium tax credits.

Florida

Bracy Davis, Rosenwald File Bill to Fix My Safe Florida Home Program Application Barriers

Published

4 months ago

January 8, 2026

Willie David

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FNN) — Senator LaVon Bracy Davis and Representative Mitch Rosenwald have filed legislation aimed at expanding access to the My Safe Florida Home Program by allowing homeowners to reapply when applications were previously deemed abandoned or withdrawn due to errors or omissions.

The measure, SB 1148/HB 1045, would modify program rules to permit subsequent applications when the original filing was rejected because of compliance-related mistakes, provided there is good cause and the applicant corrects the issue in a timely manner.

Expanding Access to Homeowner Assistance
The My Safe Florida Home Program is a state initiative that provides eligible Florida homeowners with inspections and grant funding to help strengthen their homes against storms while reducing insurance costs. The program is administered by the Florida Department of Financial Services.

Current rules allow for reapplication if an application was denied or withdrawn due to errors or omissions. However, the proposed legislation would also allow reapplication when an application was deemed abandoned or withdrawn because of similar compliance-related issues.

Addressing Bureaucratic Barriers
“At a time when Florida’s families are struggling with rising insurance costs, we cannot allow bureaucratic technicalities to block access to affordability tools,” said Bracy Davis, a Democrat from Ocoee.

The bill responds to concerns from homeowners who were unable to submit a new application after their original submission was closed due to misunderstandings or reasonable mistakes regarding program requirements.

Focus on Seniors and Low-Income Homeowners
Rosenwald, a Democrat from Oakland Park, said the legislation is intended to help vulnerable homeowners who rely on the program for financial relief.

“This program can be a lifeline for seniors and low-income homeowners,” Rosenwald said. “In response to Floridians reporting that they were blocked from submitting a new application because of a misunderstanding or reasonable mistake concerning program compliance, I filed this glitch bill.”

If approved, the legislation would ensure more homeowners have access to financial assistance aimed at strengthening homes and improving insurance affordability across Florida.