"His comments were sufficiently strong to make people uncomfortable" - Pete Carroll's passionate remarks regarding minority hiring didn't go down well with some NFL executives
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll stirred up a lot of emotion with his comments about minority hiring in the NFL.
Some say that Carroll's comments may have angered several front-office folks because the Seahawks head coach pointed out that a lot of NFL executives aren't comfortable turning key positions in their front office over to people of color. NFL analyst and sportswriter Mike Florio stated the following:
The NFL has a problem when it comes to the hiring of minority coaches. And the NFL knows it. But that hasn’t stopped some from issuing blunt reminders to those in charge. Per multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll delivered a “passionate speech” regarding the NFL’s struggles with diversity during last week’s league meetings in Florida.
Reports are that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, in particular, didn't like what Carroll had to say and spoke out against him during the NFL owners' meetings. Mike Florio wrote the following:
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam responded to Carroll’s not-so-subtle suggestion that the problem flows from ownership, taking issue with the idea that owners are out of touch when it comes to entrusting key positions to Black candidates.
Pete Carroll started talking about more minorities in the league and upset everybody in the room! WOW!
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Some even reminded folks that Carroll doesn't have a lot of minorities on his coaching staff. He has even hired his own kids to his staff, so maybe Pete Carroll wasn't the best person to speak out on issues like this.
Although he's not wrong, it just might not have been his place to speak, especially when his record goes against his comments.
The NFL only has about five black executives in the front office and only one minority owner, Shahid Khan of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It would have been nice to see Mr. Khan take a stand in this moment and speak about what it is like to be the only minority owner in the NFL.
Pete Carroll needs to improve his miniority hiring record
Pete Carroll has done a lot of talking about this subject but hasn't done much else. He was one of the first coaches to take a look at Colin Kaepernick, but ultimately, he didn't make a move to secure a spot for him on his team.
Actions speak louder than words. When Bruce Arians stepped down as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he immediately named Todd Bowles as his successor; that's called being an ally. Arians also had several minorities on his coaching staff, including two women.
The bond between Todd Bowles and Bruce Arians is unbreakable ♥️ https://t.co/7Vjki8Xl6Z
Arians didn't say much, but he didn't have to. His record on these issues speaks for themselves.
Mike Tomlin, who, just a few months ago, was the only black NFL head coach in the league, hired former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores to his coaching staff when it appeared that Flores wouldn't be getting another chance in the NFL anytime soon because of his lawsuit against the league and several of its teams.
Again, that is what people in a position of power are supposed to do. Pete Carroll can talk a good game but until his walking catches up to his talking, he probably needs to sit this conversation out.