The NFL Working to Improve Diversity in It’s Coaching Ranks

While the National Football League has plenty of diverse talent on the field, you’d be hard pressed to see that reflected in the sidelines.

The New York Times reports that in the 2019 off-season the number of minority head coaches shrunk from eight to four. When it came to general managers that number went from four to two. This led to Richard Lapchick, the director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, giving the NFL it’s lowest grade in 16 years in the annual report he puts out that tracks the hiring of minorities and women in the league. The only minority head coaches at the moment are Mike Tomlin of the Steelers, Anthony Lynn with the Chargers, Brian Flores with the Dolphins and as of today Ron Rivera with the Washington Redskins.

This drought of talent is partially explained by the process of which head coaches are selected, one that tends to favor offensive coordinators and coaches for quarterbacks. Many black coaches are typically selected for jobs involving the defensive line. When it comes to coaches for quarterbacks, there were only two black coaches in the 2019 season.

This is a problem the NFL is working to solve. In 2003 the league introduced the Rooney Rule to help increase diversity across coaching staffs and front offices. The rule requires that each team interview at least one minority candidate from outside the organization when hiring a head coach, assistant coaches or senior executives. This rule hasn’t led to much change, though, with there never having been more than eight minority head coaches at anytime in the league. Additionally, the NFL has seldom penalized teams for violating the rule.

Source: The NFL Working to Improve Diversity in It’s Coaching Ranks