Seventh article at the Independent

If not now, when?: Fairness with hiring Blacks in NFL CHRIS DRUMMOND cdrummond@marshallindependent

MARSHALL — If not now, when? The argument that has been known as “Barbershop talk” or intriguing conversations in the household is why there is a lack of minorities, particularly Blacks, in hierarchy positions in the National Football League? To me, this is a simple answer and it’s based off two things. First, the NFL advocates one thing and exhibits another when it comes to the hiring/firing of minorities. Second, the same energy and time being allocated to other candidates isn’t being reciprocated to the minority ones. Clearly, this point was punctuated with the recent lawsuit that former NFL head coach Brian Flores filed due to systemic racism in the NFL. It has been overstated the lack of African American NFL head football coaches that are in this league. Out of the 32 teams, there is currently only one and his name is Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

According to CNN, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has alluded to the fact that the league should be more diverse. Unfortunately, though for Goodell, he works for the owners, who are predominantly Caucasian and is only going to hire people in leadership position that looks like them for the most part. Only two of the 32 teams have minority owners, neither of whom are Black. This problem was supposed to be fixed by implementing the Rooney rule, after the late great owner of the Steelers Art Rooney. The Rooney Rule, which was created in 2003, states that teams are required to interview ethnic minorities for head coaching positions and senior football operations jobs. In 2009, it extended to general managers and upper hierarchy positions. In 2020, the NFL allocated additional interviews to be had for minorities to get head coaching positions and last year, proposed an incentive in corroborating with the process of the Rooney Rule.

As fast as minority coaches are hired, they are fired in the same sense. For example, Steve Wilkes (Arizona) and David Culley (Houston) both were fired after one season of service. Yet former coaches like Matt Patricia, Adam Gase, and recently Joe Judge all had multiple years of losing before ultimately getting fired. This is not a white and Black thing, also it is not about just being hired, the larger picture is fairness. I am advocating that the NFL is preaching about being more diverse yet not giving the same time and energy, that’s being hypocritical. Leslie Frazier (Buffalo), Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay) and DeMeco Ryans (San Francisco) are defensive coordinators for teams that made it into the 2022 NFL playoffs. Eric Bieniemy, (Kansas City) and Byron Leftwich (Tampa Bay) are offensive coordinators who were also in the NFL playoffs. Now, I am not expecting all these coaches to get a head coaching job but at the same time, the consideration should be pretty good considering the success of their teams. To have only one Black head coach in a sport that is predominately Black as far as the players, coordinators and position coaches is a joke and the NFL must do better. For them to do better though, you must not just hire more but give them the same energy and time that you do with the other candidates. We, as fans, cannot put all the blame on Goodell. The owners of the NFL must want to exhibit change in the process and not just be worried about their bottom line.

Teams are built for success through time, which is something that hasn’t been given at all to many Black head coaches. The incentive clause of the Rooney Rule needs to be eradicated. Hire/interview a minority because they’re right for the job and not because of a requirement or an incentive. Recently two African American hires have been made for General Managers with Ryan Poles (Chicago) and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Minnesota). The question is how much time and support will be given for these two men to do the job they were hired to do? The NFL wants to be more diverse as Goodell stated. I have seven words to rebut that: Talk is good, but actions speak louder.

If not now, when?