In recent months, a renewed focus has been placed on the lack of diversity among NFL coaching staffs. In a league where 70 percent of players are black, very little of that diversity is reflected in the front office. Now, new proposals from the NFL hope to bribe incentivize teams to try and consider diversifying their coaching staffs.
According to NBC News, this week NFL team owners are reviewing proposals that would provide incentives should they actually hire minorities in front office positions. These incentives mostly come in the form of draft picks. If a team hires a minority as a head coach, they will move up six draft spots before that coach’s second season. If they hire a minority as a general manager, they could move up 10 spots. If they mess around and hire a minority in both positions, they could potentially move up 16 draft spots.
Additionally, the league is also proposing getting rid of the anti-tampering rule. This would allow assistant coaches to interview with other teams for coordinator positions. This is typically seen as a pivotal step in becoming a head coach. The league currently has the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for front office positions. There are no real penalties for not following the rule, however.
There are only four non-white head coaches and two black general managers in the league. So far, the only non-white head coach hired this year was Ron Rivera for the Washington Redskins. The owners are expected to vote on the new resolutions during a virtual conference on Tuesday. The rules must be approved by 24 of the 32 team owners in order for them to pass.