Agent expects ‘exodus’ of black coaches from the NFL to college football

The New York Giants decision to hire New England Patriots wide receivers coach Joe Judge as their new head coach on Tuesday threw a lot of people around the NFL for a loop.

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Experienced? Yes. Qualified? Questionable. That’s not the extent of the criticism, especially after a more qualified coordinator in that of Kansas City Chiefs’ Eric Bieniemy was passed up for the job.

According to Robert Klemko of the Washington Post, this move could be the final straw for African-American assistant coaches in the NFL ranks.

After Eric Bieniemy snub, Joe Judge hire, coaching agent I spoke with projects a small exodus of black assistants from NFL to college ranks. "They're starting to feel like there's no future for them in the NFL."

— Robert Klemko (@RobertKlemko) January 7, 2020

This really can’t be seen as too much of a surprise. With 31 head-coaching jobs now filled, African-Americans hold just three of the positions. That’s less than 10% in a sport that is widely dominated by black athletes from a demographics perspective.

What does this all mean? The NFL’s Rooney Rule has become an absolute sham. It forces teams to interview minority candidates for an opening prior to making a hire. How has that helped?

A sport that’s falling back in terms of inclusivity and has been at the forefront of racial tensions stemming from the Colin Kaepernick controversy, now seems like a good ole boys club. And black coaches are fed up.

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