These days, Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians is busy looking for ways to retool the roster with that guy named Tom Brady not in the NFL anymore.
But that doesn't mean Arians isn't aware of the other happenings around the league, especially with another eventful offseason ahead. At the NFL Combine, the 69-year-old tactician sounded off on the perceived lack of inclusivity and progressiveness of the league when it comes to hiring coaches, per the report of Jason Reid of Andscape:
Frustrated that Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, who are both Black, weren’t offered head coaching positions during the past two hiring cycles despite the team’s success, Arians said there’s clearly a problem.
“When those two guys are not head coaches after the last two seasons, something’s wrong,” he said.
The issue became even more controversial when former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL for alleged racial discrimination. After not getting hired by several teams, he settled for an assistant position with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Curiously, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is one of the only two Black head tacticians in the NFL, with Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith being the other.
Arians, who hired three Black coordinators on his staff with the Buccaneers, noted that the change must come from the top:
“(Coaches are) not owners. We know what good coaches look like. It’s not hard for us.”
The NFL has shrugged off Flores' lawsuit, saying it has no merit.
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