The NFL has had a bit of a diversity problem when it comes to higher up positions in teams around the league, and this is something of which Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is acutely aware.

Now according to Kurt Popejoy of Steelers Wire, Tomlin put the NFL on notice over their lack of minority hires around the league.

“We just have to be better. Why sugar coat it. There are less than half the minority coaches in the NFL today than there were in 2007. From that perspective, it's a joke. Right now it's comical, although it's not funny.”

Currently, there are only four minority head coaches in the entire NFL. That's four out of 32. Tomlin would be one on the Steelers. Meanwhile, Anthony Lynn is with the Los Angeles Chargers, Brian Flores is with the Miami Dolphins and Ron Rivera is with the Washington Football Team.

Four out of 32 NFL head coaches being minorities comes out to just 12.5 percent. It's not hard to see the problem in that, especially because it is a number that has gone down in recent years, as Tomlin points out.

Article Continues Below
More Pittsburgh Steelers News
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) takes the field against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium.
Steelers star T.J. Watt’s teammate drops ‘confident’ contract predictionJaren Kawada ·
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin looks in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium.
NFL rumors: Steelers talking trade with more than just DolphinsDouglas Fritz ·
Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) runs the ball after a catch against the San Francisco 49ers during second half at Hard Rock Stadium.
Steelers’ perfect trade proposal for Dolphins Pro BowlerJaren Kawada ·
Jan 5, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter of their game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
NFL rumors: Steelers, Dolphins have discussed trade involving Pro Bowl tight endJaren Kawada ·
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during the third quarter of their game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium.
Steelers’ Darius Slay took shot at Aaron Rodgers over OTAs, per Mike FlorioJaren Kawada ·
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) rushes in the second quarter against Baltimore Ravens tackle Roger Rosengarten (70) at M&T Bank Stadium.
JJ Watt drops blunt advice on TJ Watt Steelers negotiationsScotty White ·

The Rooney Rule was meant to fix the issue as it has teams interview a minority coach when going through head coaching candidates.

There's an issue with this though, a lot of team's already have an idea of who they want to hire. So to fill quotas, they will just interview a few people without any real belief that they are going to hire them.

It's a very easy way for teams to get around the rule—one that a lot of teams use in every situation. This isn't even something that only happens to minority coaches. Teams will interview a lot of coaches with one or two specific names in mind. The rest are just there to get interviews off and make it look like they went through a process.

Sometimes this is not done with any malicious intent, but it is still creating a serious problem that the NFL needs to figure out a way to fix. Mike Tomlin certainly believes so, and he likely has a lot of people agreeing with his point of view.