Saturday, January 19, 2013

10922: Rock Tackles NFL Diversity.

From USA TODAY…

Chris Rock can’t believe no minority NFL coaches hired

By Simon Samano

In the year 2013 in America, when the NFL has eight head-coaching vacancies, how is it even possible that not one of those positions is filled by a person of color?

And yet that is what happened, and since it did, surely that question was on the mind of comedian Chris Rock when he tweeted this to his 1.5 million followers Friday night:

Andy Reid wins 4 games and everybody wants him Lovie smith wins 10 games and can’t get a job.

Seriously, what’s up with that?

Of course, this issue of the NFL’s lack of minority coaches—there will be just four next season—isn’t that simple. But Rock has a point here.

Reid, who the Chiefs hired after he was fired by the Eagles following a 4-12 season, posted a winning percentage of .583 with one Super Bowl appearance in 14 years in Philadelphia. Smith, meanwhile, was fired by the Bears after a 10-6 season and remains unemployed after posting a .562 winning percentage and also appearing in one Super Bowl—with Rex Grossman as his quarterback, we might add—in nine years in Chicago.

It’s hard to fathom that nobody wanted a proven winner to take over their team, but that’s the unfortunate reality for Smith.

So back to the original question: How is this still able to happen?

Or better yet, answer this one, which puts the issue in perspective: If Doug Marrone, hired by the Bills after a mediocre 25-25 run in four years at Syracuse, was a minority, would that have been good enough to earn him a shot at the big time?

Be honest.

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