(News4usonline) – What a way to kick off Black History Month! The National Football League (NFL) received a major punch in the gut when former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores dropped a lawsuit, accusing the league and several teams of racial discrimination when it comes to the hiring and retention of Black head coaches, coordinators, and general managers.
Things have gotten pretty dicey around the league recently with Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers being the lone Black head coach out of the 32 teams that make up the NFL. The league got a major black eye in the public relations department once Flores’ legal claim was reported.
Flores, who was fired by the Dolphins after three years on the job, is suing the league along with the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and the Miami Dolphins for racial discrimination in the league’s process of hiring coaches and executives.
Embed from Getty Images“Flores accused Dolphins owner Stephen Ross of offering him $100,000 for every loss in an effort to tank for the No. 1 draft pick during the 2019 NFL season and includes texts he alleges are from New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick,” Jason Owens of Yahoo Sports reported.
Despite guiding the Dolphins to back-to-back winning seasons, Flores was canned by Miami in January. It was the first time that the Dolphins had recorded back-to-back winning seasons since 2003.
There is a lack of men of color that coach in the NFL. That is still a huge issue of conversation that needs to be addressed with racism still occurring in the year 2022.
It is almost mind-boggling that Tomlin is the only Black head coach in the NFL. The question for the NFL is why is there a lack of Black American head coaches?
The Houston Texans fired head coach David Culley in January. Culley coached the Texans for just one season before he was let go. With quarterback Deshaun Watson sidelined because of legal issues, Culley didn’t have a chance to do much as Houston finished the 2021 season with a 4-13 record.
There are a plethora of white coaches throughout the NFL. You hardly see men of Black American, Asian, Hispanic, and Indian descent. There are a lot of underperforming coaches in the NFL. Black coaches rarely get an opportunity to fail.
The Undefeated states “The other reality is that while most of the players are Black, a significantly smaller number of them care enough to take action. And, as a practical matter, most Black players in the NFL never played for a Black head coach in college. White coaches, Black players are the norm.”
I feel like there should be more diversity in the league when it comes to hiring coaches and executives league-wide because there is not much of that and it has been an issue for many years.
Embed from Getty ImagesAccording to Flores’ lawsuit, out of the 32 teams, there are only three offensive coordinators (9%), six general managers (19%), four offensive coordinators (12%), and eight special teams coordinators (25%) who are Black. These numbers come from a sports league where Black men make up 70 percent of the players, according to Flores’ legal document.
We should hear more voices and give more of these guys an opportunity to coach and it would be great to see more men of color out there coaching and doing what they do best to get these players where they need to be. By lacking diversity in the coaching fraternity, it is clear that something needs to change in the NFL.
Former NBA player Chris Bosh says that he is pissed off over the lack of Black head coaches in the NFL and he is done watching NFL games until things change. This travesty has gone this far to where some people will refuse to watch any NFL games due to the lack of diversity in the league.
The two-time NBA champ says he will no longer spend his Sundays watching ball — at least until he and his kids see more coaches on the sideline that look like them.
“I want them to know that the next great strategic mind might belong to a coach who isn’t necessarily white,” Bosh said. “Because I know they’re out there, future Belichick’s and Lombardi’s and Madden’s who happen to not be white men. Football needs to promote those who have proved themselves — and keep them around.”
Featured Image Caption: MIAMI GARDENS, FL – JANUARY 09: Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores during the game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins on January 9, 2022 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire)
Korrea Lewis is a student at Cal State Dominguez University. “I love sports, it’s my passion.”