"Black coaches deserve opportunities NFL refuses to give" - Fans left fuming as several African American candidates snubbed by franchises

The relationship between the NFL and black coaches seeking head coaching positions with a team in the league is entering a crucial phase where how the Nationa Football League reacts will set the tone for the league. With only 32 head coaching positions available in the league, it’s competitive and a very small community, where not many have thrived or even been given the opportunity.

Fans react to latest head coaching hires in the NFL

When news broke that former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores was suing the National Football League for alleged racism in hiring, this pushed to the forefront a long-held sentiment that the league does not do enough to ensure more black coaching candidates are given a shot at running an NFL team.

In the 2021-2022 season alone, and after Brian Flores and David Culley (Houston Texans) were fired from their respective teams, that left Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers) as the only black head coach in the league. In 2020, 70% of NFL players were black. Advocates of hiring more black coaches point out that for a league, where the overwhelming majority are black, the argument should follow that more black coaches should have the opportunity to run a professional football team. The NFL provided this opportunity in the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview ethnic-minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operations jobs. The rule does not require teams to hire ethnic-minority candidates, but it seeks to narrow the gap and provide more opportunities for minority coaching candidates.

Theory and practice do not always sync up. In the aftermath of Flores and Culley’s firing, many empty head coaching positions have been filled: Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears; Nathaniel Hackett, Denver Broncos; Lovie Smith, Houston Texans; Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars; Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas Raiders; Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins; Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings; Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints; and Brian Daboll, New York Giants.

Of the latest NFL head coaching hires, only Lovie Smith is a black head coach. Smith previously has been a head coach for the Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McDaniels of the Dolphins identifies as multiracial, and he now joins the list of Tomlin (Steelers), Ron Rivera (Washington Commanders), Robert Saleh (New York Jets), and the aforementioned Smith as the NFL’s only minority head coaches.

In addressing the issue, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to teams pushing teams to do more as the track record for hiring minority coaches has been “unacceptable.” His memo also stated that the league will look to improve its “efforts to promote diversity” for coaching candidates and senior football operations positions.