African-American head coaching candidates have a long history of being passed over for jobs in the NFL, and those who snag the position often face unjust criticism.
For example, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has one of the best records among NFL head coaches in the modern era. Tomlin has a 64 percent winning percentage, helped the Steelers make two trips to the Super Bowl and snag five division championships, but still faces criticism from former NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw.
Cari Champion, co-host of ESPN’s Coast to Coast, and Christy Winters Scott, sports analyst for Comcast Sports, spoke with Roland Martin during Wednesday’s edition of NewsOne Now about the possibility of the coaching vacancies in the NFL being filled by African-Americans.
Currently, there are four head coach vacancies in the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills have already announced their head coaches will not return next season.
Champion told Martin, “You normally see one Black coach, maybe two each year, but it’s not about whether or not people are adhering to the Rooney Rule, because they are interviewing Black coaches.”
The ESPN co-host explained there is a “system in place” that allows the NFL to continue to recycle coaches who do not perform well, verses filling the coaching vacancies with African-American coaches.
Watch Roland Martin, Cari Champion, Christy Winters Scott and the NewsOne Now panel discuss the possibility of a Black coach being hired to fill any of the head coaching positions in the NFL in the video clip above.
Watch NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, in its new time slot on TV One.
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