The NFL had a record ten head coaching vacancies at the end of the year, and exactly zero of them were filled by a black coach.
In response, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell believes the league has “work to do.”
“I believe diversity is good for us,” Goodell said in response to a reporter’s question about the lack of black hires. “I think we have become more diverse across every platform, including coaching. But we still have more work to do. There’s got to be more steps, and we’re evaluating everything that we’re doing, including our accelerator program and including every aspect of our policies and our programs.”
The number of black head coaches in the league at the end of last season was six. Now, there are three: Aaron Glenn, Todd Bowles, and Demeco Ryans. Tennessee’s Robert Saleh is the only other non-white head coach in the league.
The NFL implemented the Rooney Rule in 2003. Mandating that each team must interview at least one minority candidate for each head coaching vacancy. In recent years, that rule has been expanded to include coordinators and front office hires. Now, teams must interview at least two non-white candidates for all high-level positions.
The NFL is nearly 70 percent black. A fact that many in the media use to drive the narrative that the league needs more black head coaches. However, hiring based on racial representation instead of merit is not a winning philosophy for a football team or any business in any field.
Ultimately, fans, both white and black, want teams that win and don’t care about the coach’s color. The media, on the other hand, cares very much.
