By Derrel Jazz Johnson
Las Vegas, Nevada – The 2022 Pro Bowl took place Sunday in Las Vegas, but the game was overshadowed by the lawsuit filed by former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores, which points out systemic racism in the hiring practices of NFL head coaches and executives. New England Patriots receiver Matthew Slater chimed in on the lawsuit and the lack of diversity amongst NFL coaches and executives.
“I think it goes without saying that we have a problem,” said Slater. “I don’t know what you want to attribute it to. But you look at the end result for our league to be composed of 60% African-Americans and only have one African-American coach, one minority owner, not a lot of representation within front office and upper management — to me, it says we have a problem.”
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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued the following statement in regards to the Flores lawsuit:
“Racism and any form of discrimination is contrary to the NFL’s values. We have made significant efforts to promote diversity and adopted numerous policies and programs which have produced positive change in many areas, however we must acknowledge that particularly with respect to head coaches the results have been unacceptable. We will reevaluate and examine all policies, guidelines and initiatives relating to diversity, equality and inclusion, including as they relate to gender.”
Goodell then mention Flores in closing out his statement. “We understand the concerns by coach Flores and others this week. While the legal process moves forward, we will not wait to reassess and modify our strategies to ensure that they are consistent with our values and longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.” Goodell concluded by saying, “There is much work to do, and we will embrace this moment and seize the opportunity to become a stronger, more inclusive league.”
The hiring and firing of black head coaches remain to be a problem. Not even the Rooney rule that was put in place has worked. Only time will tell if the Flores lawsuit will be the start of significant hiring practices by the NFL owners or if it will remain business as usual.
Sports Editor Andrew Rosario contributed to this article.
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