In Competition for Top Jobs, in the N.F.L. and Beyond, It Pays to be a White Man

Diversity advocates say that the preference for white coaches and general managers is unlikely to change much until more team owners are people of color.

While 28 percent of management jobs at the league headquarters belong to people of color, the representation among the teams’ top front-office executives is 11 percent, according to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, which compiles an annual report on the hiring of women and minorities in the N.F.L.

“People hire people they’re comfortable with, and the people you feel most comfortable with are people with similar ideas,” said Rod Graves, a former N.F.L. general manager and league executive who now runs the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which promotes diversity in football.

Jerry Jones, the owner of the Cowboys, hired Mike McCarthy, who won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers. Both men are white. While the Cowboys followed the Rooney Rule and interviewed minority candidates, Jones revealed that he’d had his heart set on McCarthy all along.

“I knew Mike McCarthy long before he ever walked through these doors,” Jones said on Wednesday. “So much more went into how and why he’s sitting at this table today.”

The job interview, it seemed, was a mere formality.

As for the Giants, Mara touted the team’s search process, which he said included “the deepest and most talented group of candidates that I’ve seen.” Judge, 38, who until this season had never coached a unit in the N.F.L. other than special teams, prevailed because of his intangibles, Mara said.

Experts say the only way the N.F.L. will change is if the owners take it upon themselves to expand their view of available candidates.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/12/sports/football/rooney-rule-nfl-coach-diversity.html?emc=rss&partner=rss