“It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.”
We’ve all heard this numerous times in life. Sometimes it is meant as a negative complaint that some people receive jobs when they actually aren’t qualified, but know someone who helped them obtain the job.
Other times, it is referenced because two or more candidates for a job might seem to be so evenly matched, but when a certain person vouches for one of the candidates, that is a good thing, and you feel confident in choosing them for the job.
John Keim, ESPN Washington Commanders insider, reported Saturday that during the Commanders’ recent coaching search, NBA Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recommended Dan Quinn for the Commanders’ job.
Keim wrote that Kerr, a four-time NBA champion head coach for the Warriors, had begun a friendship with Quinn. Apparently, their agents work for the same company. As Kerr and Quinn interacted and became better friends over the years, Kerr began to believe in Quinn.
Thus, knowing Bob Myers was on the Commanders advisory committee, Kerr texted Myers: “He’s your guy; you’ve got to hire him.”
Richard Sherman, who played for Quinn in Seattle, texted newly hired Commanders GM Adam Peters and Kyle Shanahan, Quinn’s offensive coordinator in Atlanta, highly praised Quinn to Peters as well.
Keim reported, “Perhaps the biggest endorsement came from Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Blank, who fired Quinn in 2020 after six seasons with the Falcons, reached out to Harris unsolicited on Quinn’s behalf. ‘To have Atlanta endorse Dan was powerful,’ one person involved said.”
Championship coaches like Kerr can recognize certain qualities or beliefs another coach may or may not possess. And working under a coach, as Shanahan did, provided an opportunity to hear how one may have expertise in their field. The recommendations from Sherman and Shanahan might, more importantly, reveal how one exercises their power rightly or wrongly.
Apparently, Kerr, Shanahan, Sherman, and Blank confidently affirmed their belief in Dan Quinn as a leader, coach, and human being.