The New York Giants are one of 13 NFL teams that have never hired a Black head coach. That social issue was compounded earlier this year when they passed on Brian Flores in favor of Brian Daboll.
Flores, who allegedly found out he had been passed over during a texting snafu with Bill Belichick, later filed a lawsuit against the Giants, the NFL and several other teams.
The lawsuit alleges the Giants’ interview process was a “sham” at that Flores was simply used to satisfy The Rooney Rule.
True or false, the optics of the messy hire and their lack of history with Black head coaches doesn’t reflect well for the Giants. And that’s because of their “inherent and unconscious” racial bias, says former Giants vice president of evaluation Marc Ross.
“There’s inherent and unconscious biases,” Ross told The Washington Post. “I heard that tons when I did my GM interviews: ‘We thought you were amazing. You’re outstanding. You’ll be a GM one day. We just felt comfortable with this guy.’ . . . And I think Black candidates, Black coaches just don’t get that benefit of the doubt of ‘We feel more comfortable.’ Why not? Because these owners are used to being around certain people and they’re comfortable with certain people.”
Ross wasn’t necessarily singling the Giants out, but his comments did stem from questions about co-owner John Mara, who he believes prefers white candidates over Black candidates. But in the same breath, Ross said he doesn’t believe Mara is overtly racist.
“We strongly believe that racial diversity, including among our most senior coaching and executive ranks, makes us a stronger and better organization,” said team spokesman, Pat Hanlon. “John Mara’s leadership on the NFL’s Diversity Committee is a direct reflection of the organization’s commitment to creating more diversity within the Giants organization and the league as a whole.”
The Giants may not have hired a Black coach in their history, but dating back to the days of Wellington Mara, diversity was never an issue. They signed defensive back Emlen Tunnell in 1948 and he went on to become the first Black Hall of Famer in NFL history. He also later joined the Giants’ coaching staff.
In 1976, the Giants brought in Ronnie Barnes as an athletic training intern. Four years later, he became the first Black head athletic trainer in NFL history and he remains with the team today.
Then, in 1994, the Giants hired Jerry Reese as a college scout. He became the team’s general manager 2007 and the first Black GM to ever win a Super Bowl.
Still, although they are confident in their hiring practices, Mara recognizes the lack of diversity among their head coaches throughout history.
“It’s certainly something I’m aware of,” Mara told NJ Advance Media this week. “At the end of the day, we want to get the right person. I think we have a good, diverse group of candidates right now, and will make a decision based on who we think will be the best person to lead us in the future. But it was very important that we have a diverse group of candidates.”
Given how well the Brian Daboll era has started, it’s unlikely the Giants will be thrust into a head coaching search any time soon, so questions about their past will persist.
