What's sad is that the NFL evidently believes that qualified and experienced people are being passed over.
If this is truly the case then I applaud this decision.
How many persons like this are in actual pipelines for coaching or GM'ing?
I've been hearing / reading for several years how the NFL is lagging behind in this.
The other side of the coin is that white coaches that are qualified and can win should not be passed over, either.
This is a fine line to walk....care needs to be applied here. But if this is the course the NFL believes needs to be taken then I support it.
I think that this policy promotes tokenism, and will foster a mindset that people are not being hired due to qualifications, but rather to manipulate a team’s draft pick situation. It is insulting that you qualified candidates who earned their spots.
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I'd suppose a list of folks passed over should be made public.
On the deck plates I'd assume that there is knowledge of some solid individuals that are being passed over - hence the seemingly extreme nature of this plan.
Off the top of my head - our own Bill Russell broke MANY barriers...Kareem did as well.
Is there ONE Black player in the NFL like Russell or Kareem? Granted Kareem did not coach but he was right there with Bill in promoting change.
For those that disagree with this plan from the NFL - what other course of action should they take to promote change?
Outside of Tomlin in Pittsburgh and a few others....how many Black coaches have received opportunities? How many GMs?
I think that there are three African-American coaches in the NFL. Whether that is representative depends on how you view representation. Based upon percentage of the population, three out of 32 coaches being black is about right. White coaches are represented too heavily, and Hispanic coaches are underrepresented. But, it is within reasonable margins, I suppose.
At the same time, if representation should reflect the sport itself, then there should obviously be many more black coaches.
Here’s the thing, though. I doubt that there is one single owner in the NFL who discriminates based upon race. The NFL is concerned with winning, and I suspect they’ll hire whoever helps them win.