Fritz Pollard Alliance Exec Dir Rod Graves identified several NFL teams leading the way in terms of minority advancement, citing the Dolphins -- who he said “should be a model for all teams across the league” -- as well as the Cardinals, Bears, Vikings and both Super Bowl LV participants, the Chiefs and Buccaneers. Graves on the latest “SBJ Unpacks” podcast with Andrew Levin assessed recent hiring trends across the league.
On progress made during the latest hiring cycle:
Graves: One of the things that the teams did extremely well during this time period was the research that was done on the candidates and the quality of candidates that they were researching. I thought, in that regard, they did probably a more-notable job than they have in past years. The disconnect became at the time of the decision. And so, that's the area that I think we really have to focus in on going forward.
On Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy:
Graves: Eric Bieniemy is a damn-good football coach. I've stood on the sideline with him; I've witnessed his work in the classroom; I've heard him talk and give instruction during coaching clinics. I know his passion; I know what he's made out of. And there's no reason why he shouldn't be standing on the sideline in 2021 as a head coach. That certainly is one of the areas that tugs at me quite a bit coming out of this hiring cycle.
On a more-comprehensive solution to foster social performance in the league:
Graves: We need to take a stronger look at putting more teeth into it (the Rooney Rule). Obviously, I think it starts with the business argument. The league has yet to put forth a business argument that embraces diversity as good for the game, and I think we need to quantify what we believe that the long-term aspects of that can be. I also believe that if the league is intentional about truly transforming our leadership portrait, then we need to pull back the covers on the entire spectrum of the NFL, not just the game, not just what happens on the field, but let's take a look at NFL Media; let's take a look at NFL Properties; let's take a look at all the other subsidiaries.
