The NFL is investigating alleged discriminatory comments made by a team official to former Eagles and Chiefs assistant offensive line coach Eugene Chung in a recent job interview.
“We will review the matter,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement. “That comment is completely inappropriate and contrary to league values and workplace policies. The NFL and its clubs are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all personnel in a manner that is consistent with our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Chung, 51, also a former NFL offensive lineman, is Korean. Last week, he said that during a recent interview with an unidentified NFL team, he was told he was “not the right minority.”
“It was said to me, ‘Well, you’re really not a minority,’” Chung told The Boston Globe. ”I was like, ‘Wait a minute. The last time I checked, when I looked in the mirror and brushed my teeth, I was a minority.’”
According to Chung, when he asked the interviewer to explain, he was told he was “not the right minority that we’re looking for.”
“I asked about it, and as soon as the backtracking started, I was like, ‘Oh no, no, no, no, no, you said it,’” he told the Globe. “Now that it’s out there, let’s talk about it. It was absolutely mind-blowing to me that, in 2021, something like that is actually a narrative.”
The Fritz Pollard Alliance called on the NFL on Monday to review the matter.
“Alleged comments made to Eugene Chung by an NFL team during a recent interview should be investigated by the NFL,” the organization said in a statement. “If the comments regarding his status as a Korean American are true, it is further evidence that despite good faith changes to diversity-related policies, the NFL’s actual hiring practices are still riddled with discrimination.”
Chung, a first round pick of the New England Patriots in 1992, played in the NFL for eight years. Later, he served as assistant offensive line coach for the Eagles (2010-2012) and Chiefs (2013-2015) before returning to Philly to work from 2016-19. He didn’t coach in the league in 2020.
Chung wouldn’t point a finger at the league for his treatment.
“I’m not sitting here bashing the league at all,” he said, “because there are great mentors and there are great coaches that embrace the difference. It’s just when the Asians don’t fit the narrative, that’s where my stomach churns a little bit.”
