The president stated that it is not a law requirement but that it was a requirement for “generic decency” to Lester Holt, NBC News’ Lester Holt.
WASHINGTON — In an interview that aired during Super Bowl telecast, President Joe Biden pointed out the absence of Black head coach in the NFL. He said that having diverse leaders in this league was a requirement for “generic dignity.”
Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, pointed out that Biden stated in an interview with Lester Holt. He said that “they haven’t lived upto what they promised to and were open about hiring more minority athletes to run teams.”
He said, “The idea that a league made up of so many African American athletes, as well as being so diverse, it just seems that there aren’t enough African American qualified coaches to manage these NFL team’s,’ it just seems that it’s something they’d like to live up too.” It’s not a law requirement, but it is a requirement for good decency.
The NFL’s lack of diversity in its coaching ranks has been long criticized, especially in a league with a majority of minority players. According to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, the University of Central Florida, around 71 percent of NFL athletes were people of color last year. Only a quarter of them were white. The race of the remaining 4 percent was not known.
The league has three black head coaches, while the majority are white men.
Brian Flores, former Miami Dolphins head coach, sued the NFL this month for racial discrimination in hiring practices.
The NFL’s “Rooney Rule” was expanded in 2020 to allow clubs to interview at most two candidates from minority backgrounds for head coaching positions.
The lawsuit seeks class-action status. Flores, who is Black and shared a story about sitting through a job interview for an unfilled job. He knew that he wouldn’t get the job because of the Rooney Rule, which required the team to interview minorities candidates.
Holt asked Biden if he believes the NFL should be held to higher standards regarding diversity issues because of its wide influence. Biden stated, “I believe it should be held at a reasonable standard.”
Biden made similar remarks about racial equality within the league in last year’s Super Bowl interview.
Goodell admitted last week at a news conference about the state of the league, that the NFL needs to hire more Black and minority coaches.
“We will not tolerate racism. Goodell stated that he would not tolerate discrimination. All of these allegations were made based on racism, discrimination, or the integrity and play of our game. These are serious issues for us all at all levels and we must investigate them all.”
