The burden of addressing the NFL’s longstanding diversity issues should not fall on the shoulders of those who have suffered from the league owners’ history of discrimination. While the NFL has been reluctant to hire Black and brown head coaches, the situation is somewhat different in the front office, with a record 11 Black and brown general managers this season, marking an all-time high. However, the practical implications of this progress reveal a less-than-ideal reality.
The presence of people of color in key positions within the NFL, such as general managers and team presidents, should ideally translate into increased opportunities for Black and brown head coaches. Yet, the public visibility of head coaches compared to team executives plays a role in this discrepancy. Head coaches like Mike Tomlin and Ron Rivera are well-known figures, regularly appearing in front of cameras, while general managers often operate behind the scenes.
Despite the encouraging increase in the number of Black and brown general managers, the statistics for head coaches don’t paint a similarly positive picture. Over the 21 years since the implementation of the Rooney Rule, which aimed to increase diversity in coaching hires, the NFL has not had more than eight Black or brown head coaches at any given time. The current season features seven, with one being an interim coach who replaced a white counterpart.
While the NFL might argue against any reluctance to have Black or brown individuals leading teams, the numbers indicate a different story. The league has consistently fallen short in hiring diverse head coaches, with nine teams never having a person of color as their full-time head coach, and three teams not hiring a person of color since 1990.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged the issue but emphasized ongoing efforts to address it, suggesting that the league is focused on implementing processes that will lead to better results. Goodell expressed confidence that clubs committed to diversity initiatives would eventually yield positive outcomes for deserving candidates.
To assist in increasing diversity, the NFL has introduced initiatives like the Accelerator Program, aiming to put more minority candidates in front of team owners before the hiring process begins. However, the expectation now falls on Black and brown general managers to rectify a problem that league owners have been unwilling or unable to solve on their own.
While it may not be fair to burden general managers of color with the responsibility of hiring head coaches solely based on their race, the hope is that their increased presence in decision-making roles will naturally lead to more diverse coaching hires. This is due to the general tendency for people to hire individuals they know or those who share similar backgrounds. Black and brown general managers may have a broader network of contacts within the coaching community, offering a more diverse pool of candidates.
The emphasis on merit-based hiring remains crucial, but the increased diversity in decision-making roles should theoretically lead to a more inclusive and equitable coaching landscape. The progress is undoubtedly a positive step, but the onus should remain on the entire league, including team owners, to actively contribute to dismantling long-standing barriers and fostering a truly diverse and representative NFL coaching community.