On Tuesday, NFL owners approved new measures to improve diversity in coaching and front office in the league. There was a proposal in place to rewarded teams with improved draft picks for doing so.
The proposal for improved draft picks was said to allow teams to improve a third-round or lower draft pick by between six to 10 spots for a diversity hire. This was tabled and will be voted on at a later date.
Here is a summary of what team owners did vote for and the changes they will make immediately.
- Teams will now be required to interview at least two candidates from outside their organization 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. Previously, the Rooney Rule had required teams to interview only one minority candidate.
- The NFL changed its anti-tampering policy to relax the rules that have allowed teams to deny assistant coaches and executives the opportunity to interview for jobs with other organizations. The resolution approved Tuesday, according to the NFL, establishes a system "that prohibits a club from denying an assistant coach the opportunity to interview with a new team for a bona fide Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator or Special Teams Coordinator position and a non-high-level/non-secondary football executive from interviewing for a bona fide Assistant General Manager position.
- Each of the 32 NFL teams will establish a minority coaching fellowship program. The coaching fellowships are to be full-time positions, one or two years in length, to "provide NFL Legends, minority and female participants with hands-on training in NFL coaching." The idea is to establish a larger pool of qualified candidates in the pipeline from which head-coaching candidates are ultimately drawn.
Currently, the NFL has four minority head coaches and two minority general managers. Brian Flores of the Dolphins was the only minority candidate among the eight head coaches hired after the 2018 season. Washington's Ron Rivera, who'd been fired a couple of months earlier by the Carolina Panthers, was the only minority candidate among the five new head coaches hired this offseason.
Long time Steelers HC Mike Tomlin and Chargers HC Anthony Lynn make up the four coaches.
This is another step in the right direction for the NFL.
My thoughts are if you are a Black, White, Asian or a Women, it doesn’t matter. You should be hired because you are the right fit for the job. That works for head coaches, GMs, or McDonald's workers. Diversification Hires In NFL.
Stay tuned for more Pro Football news. Check out the latest update on the Dak Prescott contract or what other sports are making comeback!
