The league and ESPN officially announced the closing of the deal Saturday night after the Justice Department and other non-US antitrust authorities completed their reviews.
ESPN acquired NFL Network, NFL Fantasy and the rights to distribute the RedZone channel to cable and satellite operators and the league will get a 10% equity stake in ESPN.
“With the closing, we will begin integrating NFL employees into ESPN in the months ahead,” ESPN and the NFL said in a joint statement. “As we look to the future, NFL fans can look forward to expanded NFL programming, greater access to NFL Network, innovative Fantasy experiences and unparalleled coverage of America’s most popular sport.”
Viewers are not expected to notice changes on NFL Network until April, when those employed by NFL Media become part of ESPN.
Sierra Club faces lawsuit over diversity
A former Sierra Club Foundation employee is suing the nonprofit, alleging that normal workplace interactions got twisted into an unfair harassment complaint to force him out after he called out racial discrimination internally.
Pedro da Silva, 29, says he was brought on to lead an ambitious green energy investment program at the foundation, which is the charitable arm for the longstanding nonprofit. But he claims the lack of internal diversity and leaders’ dismissive comments about Black employees ran contrary to the organization’s progressive image.
A spokesperson for the Sierra Club Foundation says da Silva’s claims are “completely without merit” and that the decision to fire him was “carefully considered.”
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