The 55th Super Bowl Era season of the National Football League (NFL) came to a conclusion on February 7th with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers soundly beating the Kansas City Chiefs 31 to 9. With his seventh ring, Tom Brady passes the Patriots and Steelers organizations (tied with six each) for most Super Bowl wins ever. Rewind four weeks to Black Monday—the first Monday after the last Sunday of regular season football—which is infamous because many head coaches are fired on this day. This year, only three coaches were fired on Black Monday, but seven head coaching vacancies needed to be filled. The corrupted NFL hiring system was again revealed, only to be further tainted and once more hidden beneath the success of American football.
In 2019, around 60% of players in the NFL were Black. In stark contrast, Black personnel made up only 9.4% of head coaches, 8.8% of professional staff members, and 6.3% of general managers. The lack of Black representation in NFL team front offices is not due to an absence of talent. It is the product of a system that has yet to change.
The NFL implemented the Rooney Rule in 2003, named after former Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, requiring each team to interview a minimum of one minority candidate for head-coaching jobs and executive positions in order to combat inequality within the hiring system. In 2020, the Rooney Rule was changed, now requiring teams to interview two minority candidates rather than one. The owners also voted to further incentivize NFL teams by rewarding organizations who hire diverse candidates with two third-round compensatory draft picks. However, positive intentions do not always have the desired results. The shortage of opportunities for Black coaches stems from the college level and below creating a systemic problem that can not be fixed with one rule. Ivan Maisel, senior writer for ESPN explains the one-sided process, writing: “Head coaches are hired by mostly white athletic directors, who run programs supported by mostly white donors. ADs are hired by mostly white university presidents, who report to mostly white boards of trustees. If we are waiting for those dynamics to change, we might be here a while.” The system is rigged against the success of Black coaches because of the fear of upsetting the source of money that provides the foundation for football programs at all levels. Of the seven vacant head coaching jobs this season, one was filled by a Black coach.
The Rooney Rule can not fix the erroneous stereotypes held by white NFL team owners and general managers that have created this problem. Until the people at the top have the courage to fix inequalities at the bottom, no Black coach will have a fair chance at top jobs within NFL organizations.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/04/sports/football/NFL-coaches-fired.html
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2020/10/28/21529262/nfl-black-head-coaches-game-within-the-game
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/nfl-owners-have-problem-coaches-color/604771/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1154691/nfl-racial-diversity/
