NFL Asks Press to Specify Race when Applying for Pass to this Year’s Super Bowl

For years, the NFL was responsible for checking media credentials for the biggest annual sporting event in the United States.

But for Super Bowl LII, the FBI will be taking charge. In previous years, the government agency was only responsible for background checks for vendors and stadium attendance, while the league took charge in press credentials.

The story, which was first reported by The Washington Post, states that the FBI’s process of documenting race is for future events and security checks, citing that the agency uses the information for security conscience.

“Journalists for years have been asked to provide either a Social Security number or passport number and a photo for security checks for the game but have not been asked to specify their race, a field that is mandatory in the online press pass application form,” the article states.

James J. Wedick, a retired FBI agent, said to the Washington Post that racial identification is an important part of site identification, but usually an optional field to fill in. The story also states that the FBI routinely stores information for 20 years. However, neither the FBI nor the NFL responded to questions about how the data would be stored.

In an emailed statement to The Washington Post, an FBI spokesperson stated that the agency will ask for personal identifiable information without being intrusive.

The original story was posted by The Washington Post.