Lovie Smith said the NFL had ‘a problem’ about Black coaches. A year later he was fired and the league is being criticized yet again about its lack of diversity

CNN
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When Lovie Smith was hired by the Houston Texans in February 2022 as the team’s new head coach, he said the NFL had “a problem” with hiring Black coaches and diversity.

“I realize how many black head coaches there are in the National Football League,” Smith told reporters a little less than a year ago.

“There’s Mike Tomlin and I think there’s me, I don’t know many others. So there is a problem, and it is obvious to us. And once there is a problem, what are you going to do?

Smith was fired Monday at the end of his one and only season leading the Texans, finishing with a 3-13-1 record.

Smith is the second Black coach in two years to be relieved of his duties by the Texans, who fired David Culley at the end of the 2021 season.

Smith’s tenure hasn’t been full of wins and highlights — although his parting gift to the organization was a last-minute Hail Mary victory over the Indianapolis Colts, which seen giving up the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the team. Chicago Bear. But his Texas team showed cohesion and skill, traits often sought by teams undergoing a rebuild.

Houston general manager Nick Caserio said firing Smith was the best decision for the team right now.

“On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Lovie Smith for everything he has brought to our team over the past two seasons as a coach and leader,” Caserio said in a statement.

“I am constantly evaluating our football operations and believe this is the best decision for us at this time. It is my responsibility to build a comprehensive and competitive program capable of sustaining success over a long period of time. We are not there yet, however, with the support of the McNair family and the resources we have, I am confident in the direction of our football program moving forward.

But the 64-year-old coach’s firing, the Texas organization as a whole and the league’s measures to promote diversity have been roundly criticized by former players and television pundits.

“The Houston Texans fired Lovie Smith after 1 year. Using 2 black head coaches to tank and then firing them after 1 year should not sit well with anyone,” said former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III. tweeted on Sundaywhen news of Smith’s firing broke.

On ESPN, Stephen A. Smith and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin also condemned the decision. Smith called the Texas organization an “atrocity.”

“They are embarrassing. And as far as I’m concerned, if you’re African American and aspire to be a head coach in the National Football League, there are 31 teams you should root for. You should hope beyond God that the Houston Texans never call you,” Smith said.

Irvin said black coaches are being used as “scapegoats” by the Texans.

“It’s chaos in Houston and they’re bringing these guys in and using them as scapegoats. And that’s what African-American coaches have been screaming about for a while and it’s blatantly right in front of us,” he said.

When CNN contacted the Texans for comment, the team highlighted the moment during Monday’s press conference when Caserio was asked why a black coach would consider working for the team, and his response was that candidates Individuals should make their own choices.

“At the end of the day, it’s not about race. It’s about finding quality coaches,” the general manager said. “There are a lot of quality coaches. David (Culley) is a quality coach. Lovie (Smith) is a quality coach.

“At the end of the day, every coach has their own beliefs. Each coach has their own philosophy. Every coach has their comfort level with what we do. That’s all I can do is just be honest and upfront, which is what I’ve been doing since the day I took this job, and I’m going to continue to do that and try to find a coach who, in our opinion, makes the most sense for this organization. This is the simplest way to answer, and it is my commitment.

“That’s what I was hired to do and that’s what I’m able to do.” At some point, if someone feels that this is not the right decision for this organization, then I have to respect that and I have to accept that.

CNN has contacted Lovie Smith for comment.

Entering the 2022 season, NFL.com reported that Smith was one of six minority head coaches in the NFL, a low number in a league where nearly 70% of the players are Black.

Since Art Shell was hired by the Los Angeles Raiders in 1989 as the first black head coach in modern history, 191 people have been hired as head coaches, but only 24 have been black.

However, the NFL has taken steps to increase diversity in the coaching ranks.

Notably, in 2003, the NFL introduced the Rooney Rule to improve hiring practices with the goal of “increasing the number of minorities hired into head coaching, general manager and management positions.”

But the Rooney Rule was not a complete success.

In 2003, the Detroit Lions were fined $200,000 for failing to interview any minority coaches before hiring Steve Mariucci as their new head coach.

In response to criticism, the NFL announced last March that it was establishing a diversity advisory committee made up of outside experts to review its hiring practices. Teams would also be required to hire minority coaches as offensive assistants.

Despite changes to the rule implemented in recent years to strengthen it, a 2022 lawsuit alleges that some teams implemented “mock” interviews to meet the league’s diversity requirements.

Last February, former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a federal civil suit against the NFL, New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins, alleging racial discrimination.

Flores, who is black, said in his lawsuit that the Giants interviewed him for their head coaching vacancy under spurious circumstances.

Two months after filing the initial complaint, Flores added the Texans to it, alleging that the organization refused to hire him this offseason as head coach “because of his decision to file this action and speak publicly about discrimination systemic in the NFL.

In response to the lawsuit, the Texans said their “search for our head coach was very thorough and inclusive.”

The NFL called Flores’ allegations baseless.

“The NFL and our Clubs are deeply committed to ensuring fair employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations,” the league said in response to the lawsuit.

“Diversity is at the heart of everything we do, and there are few issues that our clubs and internal leadership team spend more time on. We will defend ourselves against these allegations, which are baseless.

But 12 months after firing their last black head coach, the Texans have fired another.

“How do you hire two African-Americans, leave them for a year and then get rid of them?” asked NFL Hall of Famer Irvin.

“You know how messy Houston is,” Irvin added. “We get the worst jobs and we don’t have the ability to fix the worst jobs, just like that.

“I don’t know of any big white coach who would take the (Texans) job unless you give them some guarantees. “You are going to have to guarantee me four years to rectify the situation. » But African-American coaches can’t come with that power because Lovie wouldn’t have had any other job.

“It was his last chance to come back to the NFL and you have to take what’s on the table to try to change that.”

The Texans are now looking for a new head coach under general manager Caserio. This new appointment will be Caserio’s third coach in this position: it is almost unprecedented for a general manager to have the opportunity to hire a third head coach with the same team.

Texans President and CEO Cal McNair said he would take a more active role in the hiring process. The next head coach will be the organization’s fourth in three years.

According to the NFL, the Texans have already requested to speak to five candidates to fill Smith’s position, a list that includes two Black coaches.

After Smith’s hiring in March 2021, McNair said, “I have never seen a more thorough, inclusive and thorough process than the one Nick (Caserio) just went through with our coaching search.”

During this introductory press conference, Smith spoke candidly about how to bring more diversity to the NFL coaching ranks.

“People in positions of authority throughout the program — head coaches, general managers — need to deliberately try to have more Black athletes in some of the quality control positions throughout your program. If you get that, they can progress, that’s one way to get more.

Smith continued: “It’s not just an interview, if you’re interviewing a black man. It’s about having a lot of guys who look like me to choose from. And it’s just not about talking. Look at my team, this is what I believe in. And let these guys show you who they are. This is how we can increase it, then it’s up to people to choose. We all have the opportunity to choose, and this is how I think we will get there.