32 teams, 16 games, and 3 head coaches of African descent. For months, these statistics have been permanently etched in the NFL's Week 1 box score.
Due to new Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel's self-identification as "human," Mike Tomlin, Lovie Smith, and Todd Bowles are the only Black coaches in the NFL this season.
As the NFL prepares for another season, every week will serve as a reminder that the NBA has half-Black coaches.
It seems as though nobody is aware that Brian Flores, Ray Horton, and Steve Wilks have filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL for its discriminatory hiring practises.
As a result, the NFL hired Loretta Lynch, the first Black woman to ever hold the office of US attorney general to represent them.
Only 26 Black men, excluding Mike McDaniel, have been hired as head coaches in this league throughout the course of the last 22 years, or since 2000.
They are frequently hired to clean up impossible messes made by subpar white instructors and are given a short window of time to do it.
After that, they typically return to their previous position as a coordinator because Black coaches seldom receive second chances to lead professional teams.
True change will occur when Black coaches are permitted to finish 8-8 every season and still be recognised.