The league’s successes and struggles are playing out in hundreds of companies that have emulated its Rooney Rule in trying to hire more people from underrepresented groups.
Criticism of the fascination with players’ bodies and the focus on tragic family histories has the league and its broadcast partners rethinking the draft.
ESPN told viewers that players were given five minutes to warm up after Hamlin was taken off the field. The N.F.L. denied that. On Sunday, Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the question.
Pro football has never been more popular, or lucrative, but the collapse of Damar Hamlin during a prime-time game was a reminder of the sport’s inherent risk.