Atlanta – The NFL New York Headquarters Front Office, contrary to what you may be led to believe, is very diverse. In fact, the National Football League has upped its diversity quotient dramatically, and in just two years time from this blogger’s view (and an association with the NFL front office that spans 20 years or back to my Super Bowl Oakland Bid work and if you count my work as a columnist for The Montclarion covering the Raiders return to Oakland from LA, then it’s 24 years). There’s no better example of how that’s the case than the “NFL 100 Ops Team”.
The NFL 100 Ops Team is, as its webpage reads, “The people behind Football Operations bring to the NFL a wealth of knowledge and experience in both football and business. Led by Executive Vice President Troy Vincent, they work to honor the game’s rich traditions and position the sport for long-term success. Meet the Football Operations team.
The football operations team looks like this via NFL 100 Ops Team bio descriptions:
Troy Vincent
Executive Vice President of Football Operations (African American, male) “Troy Vincent, Executive Vice President of Football Operations, informs the business of the NFL through the unique lens of his previous roles as a player, a player’s union president, and the Senior Vice President of Player Engagement. He employs the highest standards to enhance and preserve football and its value to society.”
Dawn Aponte
Chief Football Administrative Officer (Caucasian American, female) “Dawn Aponte, Chief Football Administrative Officer, brings a wealth of football experience at the team and league level to the NFL. Aponte is responsible for driving Football Operations initiatives, facilitating communication and management of the day-to-day operations, and assisting in building relationships with club owners, presidents and executives.”
Dave Gardi
NFL Senior Vice President of Football Operations (Caucasian American, male) “As Senior Vice President of Football Operations Policy and Compliance, Dave Gardi employs a unique combination of legal background and a lifetime of football knowledge to ensure that all football operations are in compliance with policy, process and rules.Gardi is the gatekeeper of policies and procedures that control competitive balance, where he utilizes a Juris Doctorate in Law from Hofstra as the watchdog over integrity of the game policies, and rules administration on game day.”
Arthur McAfee
Senior Vice President of Player Engagement (African American, male) “Arthur McAfee, Senior Vice President of Player Engagement, brings years of experience as a professional and college sports attorney to NFL Football Operations. McAfee oversees NFL Player Engagement, which assists players reach their potential on and off the field by providing guidance, support and resources before, during and after their NFL careers.”
Tracy Perlman
Senior Vice President of Football Communications and Marketing (Caucasian American, female) “Tracy Perlman, Senior Vice President of Football Communications and Marketing, began her career with the NFL the day after she graduated from Hofstra University in 1992. Perlman leads the marketing and communications of all programs, benefits and resources available across the football community. These efforts positively impact relationships and enhance goodwill for the NFL and its 32 member clubs with coaches, prospects, current players and Legends.”
Alberto Riveron
Senior Vice President of Officiating (Latino American, male) “Alberto Riveron, a member of the NFL’s Officiating Department since 2013 and a nine-year veteran NFL game official, is the NFL senior vice president of officiating. Riveron oversees all aspects of the league’s officiating department – including the implementation of the centralized replay model approved by clubs at the annual meeting in March – as well as administration, evaluation and development.”
Natara Holloway
Vice President of Business Operations and Strategy (African American, female) “Natara Holloway, Vice President of Business Operations and Strategy for Football Operations, has worked with the NFL for over 15 years. She currently oversees football technology and innovation, administration and football pipeline development.”
So, for those of you who think the NFL is entirely ran by a group of rich white guys, think again.
Stay tuned.