Cincinnati Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn is the first woman ever appointed to the National Football League's Competition Committee, which makes recommendations about rules and points of emphasis to the league's 32 club owners.
Blackburn is the fourth member of the committee in franchise history, joining her grandfather and team founder Paul Brown, her father and team president Mike Brown and Marvin Lewis, the Bengals' head coach from 2003 to 2018.
"I don’t speak for the commissioner and his appointment of committee assignments," said committee chairman and Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay, per The Associated Press, "but I must say it seems appropriate that Katie Blackburn would be the first woman appointed to the competition committee. With her grandfather coach Paul Brown and her dad Mike Brown being long-time and important members, Katie is now a third-generation member of the committee."
Blackburn has served as the chairwoman of the eight-person workplace diversity committee and the Super Bowl advisory committee in addition to the CBA player benefit plans committee.
The NFL commissioner selects the members of the Competition Committee. Commissioner Pete Rozelle created the committee in 1968, two years after the announcement that the NFL and the AFL would merge before the 1970 season.
The committee also includes Dolphins general manager Chris Grier, Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones, Ravens executive vice president Ozzie Newsome, and Giants owner John Mara, as well as Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich, Washington head coach Ron Rivera, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
More from NFL.com about the committee:
The Competition Committee reviews all competitive aspects of the game, including (but not limited to) playing rules, roster regulations, technology, game-day operations and player protection.
The committee’s deliberative process takes into consideration the input of experts, clubs, players, league committees, the NFL Players Association and other sources.
The Competition Committee’s actions are based, in part, on feedback from a variety of sources. At the end of each season, the 32 NFL clubs fill out a survey, answering questions about player protection, officiating, competitive balance and technology. Leading up to the National Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, NFL Football Operations meets with coaches, general managers, players and NCAA representatives to gather their input about potential changes to the rules. There is also a review of data on injuries, instant replay and technology.
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