The National Football League is a multibillionaire-dollar business and one of the most popular sports in America. In the past, the NFL has taken strides to become more diverse in the workspace. Seventy percent of the NFL’s on-field workforce is black. Of the 32 players selected in the first round in last years’ draft, 30 were players of color and 29 were black.
However, more than half of the players selected in the first round of the draft were represented by black agents for the first time in NFL history, according to the Washington Post.
This was a momentous milestone. Yet, critics of the NFL have pointed out that owners must do more to address the inequality in opportunity beyond the field especially with hiring more black head coaches and general managers.
Jeremi Wilkes, a former NFL cornerback from Syracuse University said he went through the process of transitioning from a college athlete to a pro-athlete between his brief stint with the Jaguars and working out with NFL teams. He said the draft process “depends on the position.”
“The draft process for a black man is really…it’s a lot of politics, you know, so no matter what it is it depends on your agent,” Wilkes said. “As far as the process in general, it’s just an interesting type of deal just because you understand, you’re a number. So, for the black athlete, your whole life is dependent on it and it’s something that you worked out for your whole life, not just on the majority side of the game. So yeah, definitely it depends on your position, but I think definitely, you understand you are a number.”
Wilkes said you have a coach that can understand you more when asked about the influence of black coaches. He explained that it adds more comfortability.
“You have a coach that understands you as a human, understands your mannerisms and everything,” he said. “[They] can be more personable in a sense because a lot of guys that go to these PWIs and big-time schools; there is not many black staff. A lot of times a black staff member keeps kids out of trouble.”
The NFL lacking in diversity at the most senior levels of football operations isn’t new. The virtual draft shed light on how people of color are nearly nonexistent in the highest decision-making roles, according to the The Undefeated.
In 2003, the NFL adopted what is now called the “Rooney Rule”, a policy that requires every team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one or more diverse candidates. In 2009, the Rooney Rule was expanded to include general manager jobs and equivalent front office positions.
Last May, NFL owners adopted a resolution that compensates teams with draft picks for losing minority staff members to head coaching jobs and other premium positions.
The resolution says:
- A team that loses a minority assistant coach who becomes a head coach or loses a personnel executive who becomes a general manager will receive third-round compensatory picks in each of the next two drafts.
- A team that loses two minority staffers to head coach and general manager positions would receive three third-round picks.
However, in 2021, the NFL saw a small increase in its top football executive positions, with three franchises hiring Black general managers after there had been only two during the 2020 season. Despite the increase, just two of seven head coach openings went to minority candidates.
“There’s still work to be done in this area, no question about it,” Pittsburgh Steelers team president Art Rooney II told the media three weeks ago.
“We didn’t make as much progress on the head-coaching side as we would have liked,” Rooney said. “But I would say we did make some progress on the general manager side, which is encouraging. And then we’ll have to look on the coordinator side to see how much progress we make on that front.”
Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy is an example of a black man who is often overlooked for a head coaching position in the league. His qualifications weren’t enough for that leadership position. He has the resume that was needed to lead a group of men in the locker room. It includes 15 years as an NFL assistant coach with former playing experience and a Super Bowl ring.
Players and coaches believe that a black man with a tremendous football mind like Bieniemy deserves a chance to strive in the league. But he still has not been given that chance. In this last hiring cycle, Bieniemy was passed over while less qualified white candidates were chosen for the head coaching positions. He received high praise from star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the head coach of the Chiefs, Andy Reid.
To increase diversity, the NFL has to take meaningful actions instead of empty words. Hiring minority candidates is the first step but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
