Search Results: minority

  • Gene Therapy: Addressing Racial Discrimination in the NFL | If Not Now, Then When?

    Brian Flores 

     

    by Gene Clemons

     

    The Brian Flores lawsuit brings to light all of the issues that many people have pointed out that exist in the NFL regarding their questionable hiring practices. There is only one black head coach in the NFL and despite multiple head coach openings, the Rooney Rule and public scrutiny waiting, there has not been one black head coach hired so far during this cycle. That's where Flores comes in. He believes, and seems to have proof, that the Miami Dolphins fired him because he refused to lose on purpose and that the New York Giants interviewed him for their head coaching job knowing they had already made a decision to hire a white coach. Since its inception claims have been made that the Rooney Rule is nothing more than a front so that arrogant, white owners can save face when asked about diversity in their hiring practices while continuing to employ the people they really want to hire but for as much conjecture as there has been out there, there's never really been any legitimate proof.

     

      The fact that the NFL, before doing any investigation to see if any of these allegations were true, would come out and make a statement saying that the allegations were meritless only proves that regardless of whether they believe they've done something wrong or not, there is zero chance that the NFL would take action against their own teams when it comes to diversity hiring impropriety. After all the NFL is not afraid to swing their hammer. They spent months investigating whether or not a football was underinflated during a game. They then levied punishment against an organization that included a heavy fine and a loss of draft picks. This Flores case should not have even been a difficult press release to write. Something like this would have worked while they actually took time to investigate:

     

    "We were informed of the lawsuit by Coach Flores and disappointed that one of our more respected coaches felt as if he was treated improperly. We care about our diversity initiatives and take any allegations that our Rooney Rule has been violated or that the integrity of our game has been compromised seriously. We will investigate the allegations and when we have a better understanding of the facts, address it in further detail."

     

    Instead, they Dismissed Flores and immediately, several media members took to their platforms to discredit Flores' claims. The regular smear campaign was on. People saying that they had first-hand knowledge that his claims were false while producing no evidence and hiding behind anonymous sources. People like Tiki Barber came to the defense of the Giants based on his love of the organization and the fact that they had a black GM. It is the same claim that so many Giants fans made while arguing against Flores.

     

    "He's just mad because the Giants didn't hire him." and "This isn't going to help him get another head coaching job." are common responses you can find about this situation. The truth is these people are somewhat right but like what happens with issues of race and equality, they completely miss the point and only focus on the low hanging fruit. Yes, he's mad but not because the Giants didn't hire him. He's upset because they used him to make a mockery out of a rule meant to give coaches like him legitimate opportunities to ascend to head coaching positions. And yes, this isn't going to help his cause for getting another head coaching job.

     

    But those who question him should ask themselves 'why?'

     

    Why would a man who spent 15 years working his way up from a scouting assistant to get his opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL want to ruin the lifestyle he has crafted as a professional football coach?

     

    Why would a coach who cut his teeth in an organization committed to winning want to purposely lose?

     

    Why would a man of color who understands how difficult it is for coaches like him to elevate to a head coach position, try to sabotage his opportunity to do so in the future?

     

    Why would a coach who has never sought the spotlight at any time in his almost 20-year NFL career, all of a sudden decide he wants to throw himself into a situation that is sure to garner all of the attention he's actively avoided? 

     

    Why would a man who has been applauded as a man of integrity just fabricate these stories out of thin air?

     

    The answers are simple, and they all come back to one undeniable point; there is definitely merit! Eventually one of these minority coaches were going to get tired of being quiet for fear of losing their livelihood and blow the top off of a problem that has been around for as long as black men have been allowed to coach professional football. You can't continue to discredit people and expect that all of them are going to just shut up and be content with their fate in this profession.

     

    While the sports world was digesting this news, the Vikings and Jaguars both hired new head coaches, and neither were minorities. So even during a time where the diversity hiring practices of NFL teams were being publicly debated, NFL teams continued to keep things status quo with their hirings. This says there is no change coming regardless of this case. So, what is there to do to get change?

     

    Unfortunately, the responsibility comes back on the players. They have another opportunity to show that this is about more than just money and that if they are united, they have the power to create change in their profession. The NFL is made up of 70% minorities. That means if that 70% disappears, there is no NFL. The question becomes do they really care. Do they feel as if they should be coached by men that look like them? If so, the answer is simple. Don't play until there are legitimate changes made and not sometime in the future, but right now! Demand that people of color be hired until 50% of the head coaches in the league are represented by people of color. There are more than enough qualified black men to do the job correctly. If they don't really care, then it's time to get rid of the Rooney Rule and refer to the NFL in the proper context, one that doesn't include them as a leader in the efforts to increase diversity or support the causes of equal rights and opportunities.

     

    The time for talk seems to be over, actions are the only thing that's going to get this done. If this climate of empowerment and inclusion is not the time, when is it? If this is not the cause to get behind, what would be? If this isn't more important than money, nothing will be. If the players are as tired as their people are, what would keep them from acting? 

     

    If not now, then when?

     

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    Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.

     

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  • Back At One : Black - Black Monday in the NFL

     

    by: Gene Clemons

     

    When they say Black Monday in the NFL, they really mean it. This week the NFL found themselves back at square one; one black head coach in a league represented by 70% black players. That is the lowest black head coach number since 1991. What's really strange is that this offseason one would have assumed that the number of black head coaches would increase from the depressingly low number of three in 2021. Instead, the Houston Texans fired David Culley after one season where he didn't have a starting quarterback and was given no resources to win. The Miami Dolphins fired Brian Flores after three seasons and the last two seasons were winning seasons for a team that has not recorded back-to-back winning seasons since the 2002-2003 seasons. So now Mike Tomlin, who is the second longest tenured head coach in the league, remains as the only black head coach in the NFL.

     

    There are eight head coaching openings in the NFL this offseason. It is not a guarantee that any will be filled with black coaches. What the Rooney Rule really exposed is that teams are really good at interviewing coaches they have no intentions of hiring. In many cases over the years, we have seen guys interviewed for head coaching positions and then we never hear anything about them again. What happened; was the interview so bad that nobody ever wanted to interview him again? The truth seems to be that coaches are being interviewed simply to satisfy the Rooney Rule, not because owners and front offices have a legitimate desire to diversify their leadership.

     

    We have seen a lot of names talked about for head coaching jobs but how many of them are black coaches? We have heard Flores' name included in a few of those searches. That makes sense when you consider how egregious his exit from Miami seems to be. Other names we have heard are both Buccaneers' coordinators; Todd Bowles and Byron Leftwich, and Patriots defensive coach Jerod Mayo. Outside of that many names we here are not being given any serious consideration. 

     

    There's a chance that the aforementioned names will not be considered. Is it really just about the pool of candidates; are we to seriously believe there are more qualified white coaches who are deserving of head coaching opportunities? So how is it that we find ourselves with Mike Tomlin as the only consistent black man as an NFL head coach? Especially when you consider how many times people have questioned whether Tomlin's time in Pittsburgh should end. 

     

    There are two things in play that keeps the wheels of process from moving in the NFL: nepotism and time. It's so easy to just chalk this issue up to white owners choosing to hire leadership they are familiar with but why are there always so many prominent white assistants to choose from? How many times have we seen the son of a former coach who has worked their way up the ladder? Usually, they work their way up on their father's staff or on their father's buddy's staff.

     

    Names like, Belichick, Shanahan, Schottenheimer, Gruden, Reid, and countless others have multiple family members in the league as coaches or former coaches. The longer a coach lasts, the more experience without pressure to perform at a high level their son's get. How long was Kyle Shanahan able to work on his craft while underneath the watchful eye of his father. Bill Belichick's son is currently enjoying that advantage and all while clicking off valuable years of experience with titles they did not earn. 

     

    Meanwhile a coach like David Culley climbed his way up from the bottom. He started as a running backs coach at Austin Peay in 1978. He spent 15 seasons at various college football stops around the county. He started his NFL career with the Buccaneers and spent the next 16 years working his way up the NFL coaching ladder. Finally, when he gets his chance to run his own show, of course it is not with a quality team or even a stable program. But what else was he to do, it took 30 plus years just to get someone to ask him. Clearly,he was going to jump on the opportunity, trust in his preparation and bet on himself to make the situation work for him.

     

    Against all odds that's exactly what he did. The Houston Texans won four games this season and it is safe to say that the plan from the top was to not win any. They fought until the end of the season, they showed improvement from the beginning of the year until the end, and they identified some key pieces that may be a part of the organization's rise as they moved forward. What else could he have done? It didn't matter, the fix was in from the beginning and unfortunately for a man who has waited his entire adult life for his opportunity to lead a team, he was used as a placeholder for another coach. That's the type of treatment black coaches get, and it is utterly disappointing.

     

    During this coaching cycle you will read all of these pieces about the need for diversity at the head coach position. You will see talking heads debating about it on sports shows and you will listen to podcasts where people like me articulate our disappointment in the lack of black men afforded the opportunity to lead. You know where you won't hear it coming from, the players. You never really hear much from the current players about the lack of black general managers, head coaches and coordinators in the NFL. On the outside looking in it makes you wonder if they care. 

     

    What we must all keep in mind is that they are still employees. As much as we would like for them to stand up and show their displeasure, that comes at what cost? The NFL is so competitive, and the salary cap is structured so that you can't really question any decision to move on from a player. Colin Kaepernick was blackballed from the NFL, and he never accused owners of inherently racist hiring practices. If that can happen to a popular starting quarterback, then no other position player is immune.

     

    Personally, I would love to see the entire players union ban together on issues other than just money. I would love to see them uniformly decide that they will not play if there is not a significant increase in black head coaches in the league next season. Then hold those new black head coaches' feet to the fire to hire black coordinators so that the coaching pool more accurately reflects the demographics of the league. Alas I do not have anything to lose as an outsider and I know the opportunity to establish generational wealth is a lot to put in jeopardy. I guess I am just disappointed in everyone. We stood by and watched this happen, how long will we continue?

     

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    Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.

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