The NFL on Tuesday plans to host a conference of human resource professionals from the sports industry. The conference, run by HR services firm Mercer, also will include representatives from the U.S. Tennis Association, the NBA and NASCAR.
Robert Gulliver, the NFL’s chief diversity officer, said one of the issues he expects to see emerge is how HR pros can help drive culture change within their sports. Within the NFL, for example, he pointed out that the league is attempting to change the on-field culture and how the game is played, with respect to hits and concerns about concussions in particular. How the NFL’s HR people could support that initiative is the type of subject that could be discussed at the event, he said.
The conference is Mercer’s fifth annual sports industry conference but the first at one of the league’s offices; the others were at Mercer’s offices in New York.
Gulliver said he offered the NFL space in part to showcase the league’s New York headquarters, which opened last year.
The NFL has been a participant in the invitation-only event in past years.
