*Facts: Just two of the last 20 NFL head coaches hired are African-American and there are zero Black owners. This was not lost on James Brown, the host of CBS’ Super Bowl LV pre-game broadcast, who used his platform to bring light to the situation, calling it “pitiful.”
Comparing the impact of Black players in the league to the opportunities given to them in leadership roles, Brown said: “As Black players have elevated the game there has been no commensurate rise to their standing as leaders of that game. When it comes to the hiring of Black head coaches, team and league executives, and Black ownership, frankly the track record is pitiful.”
In addition to pointing out that just two of the last 20 head coaches hired by NFL teams have been Black, with only one Black team president (who’s the first ever) and no Black owners, Brown added that nearly half of the players in the Hall of Fame are Black, but just two of the enshrined head coaches and none of the six general managers. He also mentioned that since 1920, less than five percent of nearly 500 head coaches hired have been Black.
“I’d certainly like to believe today that there is not even a hint of that calculated exclusion of the 1930s, but can we really attribute this to an issue of unconscious bias when the numbers tell an unambiguous story,” he asked.
“Whatever the true cause, the solution is the intention and willingness of the owners,” he continued. “We are told this is an important issue to them and if so it is not a complicated issue, just act on it, just do it.
Watch Brown’s commentary below:
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
