In a statement prior to this Sunday’s Super Bowl, the president of the United States, Joe Bidenappealed to “decency” so that the NFL improve your results promoting diversity in coaching.
The American Football League has focused the spotlight on this issue since two weeks ago Brian Flores, recently fired as coach of the Miami Dolphins, sued the NFL and three teams for racist hiring practices and racial discrimination.
Speaking to NBC, Biden agreed with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who on Wednesday acknowledged that the league had “fallen short” in encouraging the hiring of minority coaches.
“The very idea that a league made up of so many athletes of color, so diverse, does not have enough qualified African-American coaches to, in quotes, ‘manage’ these NFL teams, seems to me that is a standard that they should meet,” Biden said.
“I don’t know if there is not a legal requirement, but I think it is a requirement of a certain generic decency,” added the president.
Shortage of African-American coaches in the NFL
The explosive accusations by Brian Flores once again put the magnifying glass back on the glaring shortage of African-American or other minority coaches in the NFL, a league with about 70% black players.
Only two of the 32 head coaching positions in the NFL are held by African-Americans, while in the NBA this number is around half.
At a press conference prior to the Super Bowl game between the Rams Y Bengals in Los Angeles, Commissioner Goodell said Wednesday that the NFL plans to hire outside experts for a broad review of its policies on this matter.
“I think we’ve made great progress in a lot of areas, but with the head coaches we have a lot of work to do and we have to figure it out,” Goodell said.
Asked if the NFL is held to a more rigorous diversity standard, Biden responded that the league should be required to meet a “reasonable standard.”
“The commissioner noted that they have not lived up to what they promised,” Biden said. “They haven’t been up to the task of opening up about hiring more minority (people) to run teams.”
