MINNEAPOLIS — The Spring NFL Owner’s Meeting was hosted by the Minnesota Vikings this week. Some of the most powerful voices in the league were all together in one room.
It was a good place for Tennessee Titans offense coach, Charles London, to meet people.
“I had the chance to sit down with Jerry Jones and his son to talk with him about the process and learn what they look for in a head coach,” London said.
He says it’s not about what you know, but who you know. Hence, why the NFL’s new Accelerator Coach Program is giving coaches of color a better opportunity to network.
“Diversity makes us better. We saw that this week with our 40 of our participants today. They are incredibly talented, gifted and will make a difference in the NFL,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said.
The NFL has been under fire for the lack of diversity among its head coaches and general managers. Recently, California announced they’re investigating the league following reports of sexual harassment and racial discrimination.
“It’s a massive gap of representation – not just at the coaching level but the executive level,” Sports Commentator, Joy Taylor said.
In March, the NFL released their 2023 Diversity and Inclusion Report that showed 19% of head coaches hired since 2012 were men of color. Currently, there are 26 white head coaches compared to six coaches of color.
“It has to come from both sides. It has to be something owners actually want to change as well, because at the end of the day they’re the ones who decide who the head coaches are,” Taylor said.
The NFL says roughly 50% of their fans are women and girls. Taylor praised efforts to include more women in the NFL among medical staff, and front offices. However, she says there is a long way to go for more representation of women in the league.
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