Tag: NFL Black coaches

Studies show that the NFL is not as diverse as it wants you to think

The NFL is trying to stand out as a diverse entity. Studies show, the league still has a long way to go.

I wrote an article on April 16th, 2016, on the National Football League’s use of virtual reality training to confront racism and sexism. Have things really changed in the NFL since then?

This article will analyze the racial and gender makeup of the players, league office, coaching staff and general managers, and owners to determine if there has been an increase in diversity in the NFL as a whole. I pulled research from the NFL’s Diversity and Inclusion Reports along with statistics from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports.

Coaching Staff & General Managers

NFL Executive Vice President Troy Vincent said, “Since the first Diversity and Inclusion Coaching Mobility Report in 2013, it has been noted that the NFL has led the sports industry by intentionally hiring a diverse and inclusive workforce, as well as increasing opportunity for minority coaches. While improvement is evident, there must be an ongoing effort to break mobility barriers and establish a cultural norm of opportunity for all. The NFL recognizes these challenges and is committed to taking practical steps to ensure concrete results.” Let’s delve into the 2019-2020 season report and compare it to the 2016-2017 season report.

According to the NFL’s 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Report, released March 21, 2020, it seems not much has changed in terms of opportunities for people of color.

The annual study, led by Dr. C. Keith Harrison from the University of Central Florida, examines whether ethnic minorities face occupational access barriers after one or more stints as a head coach in the NFL. Dr. Harrison and his team also analyzed occupational access barriers and mobility patterns of NFL general managers, offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators and other primary NFL team position coaches.

I looked at the data provided by Dr. Harrison to determine what the percentages are of people of color in certain categories in the NFL are from the 2019 season and compared those to the 2016 season. The results show that between February 4, 2019 and February 2, 2020, NFL teams filled a total of 31 open positions for head coaches, offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators, and general managers. White men were hired for 24 of the 31 available positions, 77.4%, while only seven different men of color were hired for the remainder of open positions, 22.58%. Men of color, however, made up six of the 31 positions, 19.35%, who were fired, resigned, promoted, retired or otherwise “mutually parted ways” with an NFL team. No head coaches have yet been women.

Stated differently, from February 2019 to February 2020, the total number of men of color serving as head coaches, offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators and general managers increased only by one within the NFL—a marginal change with respect to improving leadership diversity and inclusion at the NFL team level.

In addition, only three of the nine head coaches of color, Anthony Lynn, Brian Flores and Ron Rivera, who were hired since the start of the 2012 NFL season, remain current NFL head coaches as of February 22, 2020.

Contrast those findings to the 2017 NFL Diversity and Inclusion Report and you find that between February 8, 2016 and February 5, 2017 NFL teams hired a total of 30 open positions for head coaches, offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators and general managers. One less open position than in the 2019-2020 season. White individuals were hired for 22 of these positions, 73.3%, while only seven different men of color were hired for these 30 positions, 23.3%. With Anthony Lynn being hired as both an offensive coordinator and head coach during the period.

This means that in the 2016-2017 season, only 23.3% of positions were filled by people of color versus 22.58% of positions being filled by people of color in 2019-2020 season. This is a decrease of 0.72% in a four year period. In addition, during the 2016-2017 season 18.75% of head coaches, offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators, and general managers who were fired, resigned, promoted or otherwise “mutually parted ways” with an NFL team were people of color. This percentage has increased to 19.35% in the 2019-2020 season.

These percentages can be looked at in a variety of ways, but it seems to show there has not been a significant change from the 2016 season to the 2019 season in terms of diversity of NFL coaching staffs. The Rooney Rule was introduced in 2003 with the goal being to increase the number of minorities in head coaching positions and expanded in 2009 to include general manager jobs and equivalent front-office positions. The rule mandates that an NFL team must interview at least one minority candidate for these jobs. This means, however, that a team can just interview a person of color just to meet the rule but not actually give them a meaningful look.

In 2018, the rule was changed to include additional mandates such as looking outside of the organization to interview at least two candidates for any vacant head-coaching job and at least one minority candidate from outside their organization for any vacant offensive, defensive or special-teams coordinator job. Teams and the league office are now required to interview minorities and/or female applicants for other specific positions as well.

Owners

According to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports, “The NFL has two owners of color who both have major ownership interests and are significantly involved in the operations of an NFL club.” One owner is Shad Khan, a Pakistani-born American businessman and the principal owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and became part of NFL ownership in 2012. The Buffalo Bills also have an owner with a significant stake, Kim Pegula, who is an Asian American woman and joined NFL ownership in 2014. The start of the 2019, saw seven women as principal owners in the NFL.

However, it seems that only two people of color hold a majority stake in NFL teams with only seven women holding a majority interest. With 32 teams in the NFL, only 8 are from minority groups.

Players

However, according to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports 2019 report on the NFL, the percentage of people of color on NFL player rosters has decreased since 2016.

The total people of color saw its largest decline, falling 2.5 percentage points from 72.6 percent in 2016 to 70.1 percent in 2019.

The playing field has become less diverse it seems since 2016. In 2016, then 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, took a knee during the National Anthem to protest the treatment of minorities in the United States. Some interpreted the kneeling as a protest of the American flag and called it shameful and disrespectful, but Kaepernick and many other players of color explained on multiple occasions they were peacefully protesting the racism and systematic oppression of people of color. It has been four years and not much has changed. Kaepernick sued the NFL claiming that NFL teams colluded to keep him and other protesters out of the league. He has, as of June 16th, 2020, not been signed by another NFL team since the 2016 season.

League Office

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports 2019 report on the NFL showed that the percentage of women in the NFL League Office reached an all-time high of 36.8 percent in 2019 compared to 32.3% in 2016. In addition, 10.2% of management staff were African American, the highest percentage in the last 15 years. However, women and people of color in the league office at or above the vice president level saw a slight downturn.

The league office have tried to be vocal about inclusivity, diversity, and inclusion, but many deem the sentiments as mere lip service. Recently, with Black Lives Matter protests of the numerous killing of Black men and women, the NFL made a statement, that appeared to be, a half-hearted attempt to “appease the masses.”

NFL players then took to social media and came out with a statement of their own.

This video prompted the NFL to quickly try to respond, but some say it wasn’t genuine or sincere. It was a mea culpa from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, but it seems staged and it lacked empathy.

Times are changing? Let’s hope change comes sooner rather than later.