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The NFL is facing a major issue at the moment, and it's not anything new either. The lack of diversity within head coaches has majorly been plaguing the league for many years. This was why the "Rooney Rule" was implemented.
The Rooney Rule mandates that all NFL teams include a minority candidate to be interviewed for open head coaching positions. But the rule was botched this offseason when Brian Flores was interviewed by a team that had already hired a new head coach. It was embarrassing for Flores and for the Rooney Rule itself.
But how bad is the NFL with its lack of minority representation at the head coach position? Is it as bad as people make it out to be?
At the start of the 2022-23 NFL season, the league has a total of three black head coaches. That equals out to just over 10% of the league, whereas black players make up more than 70%.
The most recent is Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he was not initially hired for the position. When Bruce Arians retired in March, he promoted Bowles up from his coordinator position. This is Bowles' second stint as a head coach. He previously led the New York Jets from 2015-2018 with a 26-41 career record.
Lovie Smith of the Houston Texans was also a new addition this offseason. He was also promoted from being the defensive coordinator when David Culley was fired. This will be Smith's third time at the helm. Previously, he was the head coach for the Chicago Bears from 2004-2012 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014-2015. His career record is 92-90.
Mike Tomlin has been one of the best black head coaches in the modern NFL. He has taken the Pittsburgh Steelers to two Super Bowls since 2007 with one championship win. He has a fantastic career record of 162-94-2, all with Pittsburgh. Tomlin holds the current record with 15 consecutive winning seasons, meaning he has never had a losing season in the NFL.
NFL has no problem with black QBs being the face of a franchise
While the league lacks diversity with head coaches, there does not seem to be a problem with the quarterback position. The quarterback is now the most important player on the roster and is the face of the franchise. More than a third of the league has a black starting quarterback.
The league has already made some changes to the Rooney Rule to now include women and more minority interviews, but that is no longer enough. Teams should hire the best possible candidate, no matter their gender or ethnicity.
