Goodell Response to Racial Inequality in Hiring Practices Falls Woefully Short
National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell. Photo courtesy of CBS.
Black men don’t get frequent opportunities to be hired as NFL head coaches. After the end of the 2021-22 regular season, only one Black head coach remained, Pittsburgh’s highly-accomplished Mike Tomlin. After the latest round of new hiring, Mike McDaniel, who media have reported is biracial or multiracial, was hired by Miami. No Black coaches were deemed “best qualified.”
When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was pointedly questioned by a reporter about this regularly-debated deficiency, here was Goodell’s brief response:
Some interesting observations:
“… .and we just have to do a better job…”
“… .is there another thing we can do to make sure we’re attracting the best talent here and making our league inclusive.”
“I think it’s not a single answer…”
“… .and make the NFL an excluv (uh oh), an inclusive, ah, and diverse organization, that allows everyone the opportunity to be successful.”
On the surface, communicating we just have to do a better job seems like a bland, lifeless remark although it appears to be accepting responsibility. Critics might say that is obvious, yet vague and dismissive.
Communicating that the league has to attract additional “best talent” is a shocking comment, inferring that “best talent” doesn’t currently exist. This statement might be experienced as hurtful by the “best talent” currently employed in the NFL.
Goodell’s near slipup of saying — “exclusive” — when he quickly self-corrected and said, “inclusive” will be viewed by critics as what Goodell, owners and general managers really feel.
Thomas J. Madden is the CEO of TransMedia Group
How does the commissioner’s response to the media grade out?
“Goodell gets only ‘C- ,’ maybe a ‘D+’ for that answer,” says Thomas J. Madden, a crisis manager and CEO of TransMedia Group, a public relations firm.
“It was far from a touchdown, or even (a) first down. He needed to admit that the sheer numbers of so few Blacks as head coaches is a mega billboard sign that the NFL is losing — not gaining yardage on this all-important inclusiveness issue. (Goodell) needed to apologize to Blacks for this and praise how much African Americans have helped to build the league’s stature, as so many star players are Black.”
The commissioner’s communication was also seen lacking in what will be done to drive positive change and results.
“So he needs to say more convincingly that there needs to be — and promise that there will be more Blacks in top coaching and management positions across the board. Goodell needs to show compassion and take responsibility for this issue and turn it around so the NFL will be more fair, honest and inclusive, Madden says. “It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it and there needs to be more heartfelt meaning behind Goodell’s mere words.”
John Goodman leads John Goodman PR
“The NFL and Roger Goodell's handing of the Brian Flores’ lawsuit is a classic example of how not to handle a crisis,” says John Goodman, founder and leader at John Goodman PR. “Within hours of learning about the suit, the NFL released a statement that said the lawsuit was 'without merit.'
“Then a few days later, Goodell said the NFL takes the allegations seriously. And yesterday at Goodell's annual Super Bowl, State-of-the-NFL press conference he said the league had failed in it's promise to hire more Black head coaches and that the NFL would reevaluate it's hiring process. This flip flop and reversal is being rightly derided in the media.”
Basic human good character helps leaders and organizations in mitigating errors, especially egregious ones.
“Honesty is the best way to handle a crisis. From the start, the NFL and Goodell should have put out a statement saying the Brian Flores’ lawsuit was a serious and worth investigating by an outside law firm,” Goodman says. “The league and Goodell would have appeared to handle the crisis much better by being honest instead of worrying about the financial implications of a serious lawsuit.”
