HOUSTON – The National Football League (NFL) has been criticized for not hiring enough black head football coaches, with several franchises failing to extend offers to any since their existence in the league. One such team is the Washington Commanders, whose new owner, Josh Harris, has come under fire in an open letter from the National Black Players Coalition for failing to employ a black head coach.
ERIC BIENIEMY REMAINS, SEEKING OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING?
The Washington Commanders under Ron Rivera hired Eric Bieniemy as the offensive coordinator. Since Rivera’s dismissal, the organization hired a new president and general manager. Could Bieniemy, as the head coach, be a foregone conclusion? No. Not so fast.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is locked in the Commanders’ front office’s radar as its new head coach. Although several interviews were scheduled for other candidates and teams are extending offers to other offensive coordinator candidates, Bieniemy could be the “odd man out” for the position.
Johnson and Detroit lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s 2024 NFC Championship Game. Therefore, Washington could offer Johnson the position this upcoming week.
Raheem Morris (Atlanta) and Jerod Mayo (New England) are the two new head coach hires in the league. Still, Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, L.A. Rams, N.Y. Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, and Seattle Seahawks have never installed a black head coach.
Progress? You make the call.
NATIONAL BLACK PLAYERS COALITION LETTER TO THE COMMANDERS
The Washington Commanders football team was founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves. As part owner, George Preston Marshall renamed the team the Redskins in 1933, and moved the team to Washington, DC in 1937, becoming the Washington Redskins. Throughout its 92 years of existence the team has never hired a full-time Black Head Coach. The team holds the hideous reputation as being the last NFL team to integrate its players – and only by force – by 35th President John F. Kennedy’s Administration in 1962.[i] This notorious tradition has carried over at the head coaching position to this day!
Soon after purchasing the Washington Commanders from former embattled owner Dan Snyder, new owner Josh Harris and the team’s ownership group sent an open letter on July 23, 2023, to Washington, DC fans promising among other things to “…earn your trust” and “…strive every day to ensure that we are a franchise you can be proud of.” In our August 14, 2023, Open Letter to Josh Harris, the National Black Players Coalition stated that “As the new owner of the Washington Commanders, you and your partners now have the responsibility to not only address the sexual harassment issues that plagued the organization under its former owner, Daniel Snyder, but hopefully you and your partners will also take leadership in addressing the racial discrimination issues… that exist inside your organization.”
One of the most key issues is the fact that the Washington Commanders and its predecessors have never hired a full-time Black Head Coach in a predominantly African American community! Shamefully, the Washington Commanders remain among the now 11 NFL teams that have never had a Black full-time head coach: Buffalo Bills; Baltimore Ravens; Tennessee Titans; Jacksonville Jaguars; Dallas Cowboys; New York Giants; New Orleans Saints; Carolina Panthers; Los Angeles Rams; the Seattle Seahawks; and the Washington Commanders. Historic and most recently, the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons broke their color barrier and hired their first full time Black Head Coaches (Jerod Mayo and Raheem Morris, respectively). The Las Vegas Raiders just hired their third Black Head Coach, Antonio Pierce! Will it take 100 years for Commanders fans to get their first Black head coach?
On September 14, 2022, the NBPC issued a comprehensive “Open Letter To NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell” and all 32 owners. See: (https://t.co/d1g2CjhY2g) In that letter, among other issues, the NBPC called upon the NFL to hire at least half (16) Black head coaches. At this writing, the NFL hired 3 new Black head coaches bringing the total to 7 including Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins. Now is the time for the Commanders to also make history by joining these teams in hiring their first full-time Black Head Coach!
