|
Just one of the league's vacant head coaching
positions went to a diverse candidate this year, with the New
York Jets hiring former San Francisco 49ers defensive
coordinator Robert Saleh. The league unveiled a plan in November
to boost diversity among head coaches and executive staff.
"It wasn’t what we expected and it’s not what we expect going
forward," Goodell told reporters at his annual State of the
League news conference ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl between the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs in Tampa,
Florida.
"For us, we want to continue to look and see what went right,
what went wrong," he added. "That has to happen with individual
discussions with candidates - both successful and unsuccessful
candidates - the clubs, and try to understand exactly what went
right and what went wrong.
"They're not the outcomes we wanted."
Among notable snubs during the hiring cycle, an annual period
during which low-performing teams look to appoint new
leadership, was Eric Bieniemy, the Chiefs' offensive coordinator
who has now led the team to two consecutive Super Bowls and was
once seen as a prime candidate to pick up a head coaching job.
Head coach Andy Reid told reporters this week he was "curious"
to know why Bieniemy, who is Black, was passed over.
"This guy doesn't miss a beat," said Reid.
"So, I don't understand everything, I'm not an owner, I don't
sit in those meetings to interview head coaches, but I would
just tell you that whoever gets him whenever they get him will
be very, very lucky."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery, editing by Ed Osmond/Peter
Rutherford)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
