Minority Coaching

Peter King writes

In a league in which approximately two-thirds of the players are minorities, the lack of progress on the minority coaching front is a black eye, particularly when three black men -- Lovie Smith, Tony Dungy and Marvin Lewis -- did some of the best coaching in the NFL this year. I thought the NFL was becoming a progressive league in the hiring arena. But with no additional minority hires as head coach -- and, just as important, no increase so far in key front-office positions for minorities -- the league has taken a giant step backward this month.

This is the problem with a quota approach to hiring. King equates being progressive with hiring new minority coaches each year. Taking the logic espoused here to its obvious conclusion, being progressive means having only minority coaches. What sense does that make?

I thought teams were supposed to hire the best coaches available, as determined by the GM and owner? If the best coach happens to be white, should that be held against him? I may agree that it is curious some guys who have been touted as head coaching prospects, and who also happen to be black or Hispanic, didn't get an opportunity this year. And I may question that some of the men hired were actually the best available (Mike McCarthy?). But that does not equate to a "giant step backward", just because no one hired a black man to head their team this year.