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Eugene Chung played 55 games at right tackle position in the NFL. He was the first Asian American draft pick in the history of the NFL.
Post his retirement, Chung coached for ten seasons as an assistant coach under Andy Reid and Doug Pederson. Chung is currently working towards becoming the first Asian-American head coach in the NFL.
Eugene Chung did an exclusive interview with The Boston Globe on May 21st, in which he talked about his experience while interviewing for a coaching job with an NFL team.
Chung claimed that the interviewer told him that, "he wasn't really a minority". Chung said he was taken aback by the comment.
"I was like, Wait a minute. The last time I checked, when I looked in the mirror and brushed my teeth, I was a minority. So I was like, what do you mean I'm not a minority?"
Eugene Chung refused to reveal the name of the NFL team for which he interviewed, or the identity of the interviewer.
Chung's allegations of potential racial discrimination will likely be investigated by the NFL. This is something that the NFL doesn't take lightly.
Eugene Chung stood up for himself during the interview
During the interview with The Boston Globe, Eugene Chung said he confronted the interviewer about his alleged comments.
"As soon as the backtracking started, I was like, 'Oh no, no, no, no, you said it. Now that it's out there, let's talk about it.' It was absolutely mind-blowing to me that in 2021 something like that is actually a narrative."
Eugene Chung told The Boston Globe that he was not here to bash the NFL at all, but when Asians don't fit the narrative, that's where his stomach starts to turn.
Relevance of the NFL's Rooney Rule to promote "diversity in hiring"
On December 12, 2018 the NFL took a step in the right direction by improving the Rooney Rule. The NFL made the change to strengthen diversity. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had this to say in 2018 about the changes made to the Rooney Rule.
“The policy updates made today will bolster the current Rooney Rule requirements and are intended to create additional opportunities for diverse candidates to be identified, interviewed, and ultimately hired when a vacancy becomes available.”
Here are the changes that were made to the Rooney Rule on December 12, 2018:
- Clubs must interview at least one diverse candidate from the Career Development Advisory Panel list or a diverse candidate not currently employed by the club.
- Clubs must continue best practice recommendation of considering multiple diverse candidates.
- Clubs must maintain complete records and furnish to the league upon Commissioner’s request.
- If final decision-maker is involved in the beginning, he/she must be involved through the conclusion of the process.
The Rooney Rule was set in place to help minority coaches like Eugene Chung. If the NFL doesn't look into the Eugene Chung incident, then they're ignoring the importance of the Rooney Rule and what it stands for.
