Nine black assistant coaches from the NFL met yesterday
for "nearly six hours" with Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and
his staff to discuss hiring practices, according to Gary
Myers of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. The session "was more a forum
for an exchange of ideas to improve the future than to
complain about the past." Myers: "By mutual agreement prior
to the meeting, no decisions were to be made yesterday and
Tagliabue will hold another meeting in the spring" (N.Y.
DAILY NEWS, 3/25). ESPN's Bob Ley noted the session was
"described as consciousness raising." Tagliabue: "We tried
to focus on the future and what can be done." Falcons Asst.
Coach Art Shell: "We had a good start, and that's the main
thing" ("SportsCenter," 3/24). In N.Y., Dave Anderson: "The
system must be changed after black coaches were shut out 10-
0 in the recent turnover of head coaches" (N.Y. TIMES,
3/25). In Toronto, Steve Simmons: "The discomfort of the
NFL will not go away. The opportunities for black head
coaches are more than limited: they are virtually non-
existent" (TORONTO SUN, 3/25).
