NFL making progress toward diversity

By Alex Guzman  |   Wednesday, May 25, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

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NFL coaching staffs and front offices are improving their racial diversity, according to a study conducted by the University of Central Florida. In 2002, there were 2 black head coaches; 6 African-Americans held the top coaching positions at the beginning of this year.

The NFL Players Association maintained A-pluses for race and gender, setting the standard for professional players unions reviewed. Almost two-thirds of the positions on the NFLPA's board were occupied by blacks, headed by executive director Gene Upshaw. The figure is in line with the racial makeup of league's players which are 69 percent African-American.

Richard Lapchick of UCF's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport gave the NFL grades of B for race and a D-plus for gender. A previous study gave the league B-minus and D-minus, respectively, on each category.

The NFL got an A-plus at the assistant coach level. Last season, 30 percent of the league's assistants were black, with 12 black coordinators. 3 teams had women serving as president/chief executive officer, which led all pro sports on a percentage basis.

In 2002, the NFL enacted a policy requiring teams searching for a head coach to interview at least 1 minority candidate. The next year, the Detroit Lions were fined $200,000 for failing to comply before hiring Steve Mariucci.
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