MIAMI _ The NFL has a problem and the man leading the league is aware of it.
The past hiring cycle saw no African-American hires despite Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy interviewing for at least three head coach vacancies. San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who is of Lebanese descent, also didn't land a head coach position after interviewing with the Cleveland Browns.
The one potential saving grace? Washington hired Ron Rivera, who became the lone minority head coach hire out of five available spots.
As of now, Rivera, the Steelers' Mike Tomlin, the Dolphins' Brian Flores and the Chargers' Anthony Lynn are the only minority head coaches in the NFL.
"Clearly, we are not where we want to be," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday during his annual Super Bowl address. "We have a lot of work that's gone into not only the Rooney Rule but our policies overall. It's clear we need to change and do something different.
"There's no reason to expect we're going to have a different outcome next year without those kinds of changes and we've already begun engaging in those changes. Not just with our diversity committee, not just with the Fritz Pollard Alliance, but others. And trying to figure out what steps we could take next that would lead to better outcomes."
The discussions on the lack of diversity among head coaches are likely to pick up in high gear when the league holds its annual owners' meeting in late March, two months after the last round of hires.
"From a league standpoint, we've not been together since the hiring cycle," Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said Tuesday. "The first time we're together will be in March and I know that will be a topic of discussion."
When the meetings begin, Goodell pointed to a dedication among the league's top decision makers on finding a solution for a league where an overwhelming number of players are minorities.
"It's clear we're all committed to doing that and we have to make those changes," Goodell said. "So, we will have a series of meetings, which we've already scheduled, over the next month to get that kind of dialogue going, to continue the dialogue to try to determine what are the solutions so we can have those better outcomes."
Meanwhile, Bieniemy will need to wait another year for another opportunity to interview despite interviewing for a known seven head coach vacancies over the past two years.
When it comes remains to be seen, but Bieniemy has the full support of his organization as the Chiefs prepare to play the 49ers in the Super Bowl and beyond.
"I was very disappointed for Eric," Hunt said. "From a Chiefs perspective, of course we're delighted that he's going to be back."
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid agreed on Bieniemy sticking around, especially with the Super Bowl in the coming days, and then added his continued unwavering support for Bieniemy to one day lead his own team.
"I really don't think he needs to work on anything to become a head football coach," Reid said Wednesday. "I think he's ready to go. He just needs that opportunity."
