The NFL’s Race Problem
What Next | Daily News and Analysis
Slate Podcasts
4.3 • 2.4K Ratings
🗓️ 7 February 2022
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Until last month, Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, and one of only three Black head coaches among the NFL’s 32 teams. That number has since dropped to one.
On Tuesday, Flores announced he was suing the NFL, alleging that the league's hiring practices are racist. His suit comes almost 20 years after the creation of the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview ethnic-minority candidates for senior positions, and eight years after Colin Kaepernick was black-balled from the sport for kneeling during the national anthem—begging the question of how much has really changed in that time.
Guest: LZ Granderson, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of ABC News’ “Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson.”
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | There's gift I've ever received has to be a bike when I was younger, a pedal bike. |
| 0:07.0 | It was a sort of slick little road bike and I remember it was all like it was so it was all wrapped up |
| 0:12.7 | but it was so obvious what it was obviously because nothing shaped like a bike and I had a little ribbon on it |
| 0:16.4 | and I was so guest. For that was a life changer and I'm still sort of big on cycling around my area now |
| 0:21.6 | so for that one change me a little. |
| 0:23.8 | Join in every sip with red cups now back at Starbucks. |
| 0:31.5 | Hey everyone quick warning there's some salty language in today's episode. |
| 0:36.6 | A couple weeks back Bill Bella check the general manager of the New England Patriots sent a text that by now he probably regrets. |
| 0:48.3 | He was reaching out to a guy named Brian only apparently there are two Brian's saved in his phone. |
| 0:54.5 | A white Brian and a black Brian and it was congratulating the white Brian on the hiring or getting the New York Giants head coaching job. |
| 1:04.5 | The problem is is that he texted Brian for as the black Brian. |
| 1:12.2 | Black Brian Brian Flores was also up for this coaching job with the Giants and black Brian had yet to interview for that job |
| 1:21.4 | but he was slaughtered to interview for that job three days from which he got that text message. |
| 1:27.0 | Elsie Granderson has been following the saga of these texts. |
| 1:30.7 | He says eventually Brian Flores texted Bellicic back and he asked are you sure you're messaging the right guy? |
| 1:37.9 | Bellicic's response? Sorry I have to this up. |
| 1:42.9 | When you saw these texts did they surprise you? |
| 1:45.4 | No. |
| 1:46.7 | For Elsie this comedy of errors reveals a darker truth about the NFL that a league that relies on black players to mercilessly break their bodies week after week. |
| 1:58.2 | Refuses to let black people lead. |
| 2:01.0 | Why is the New York Giants interviewing Brian Flores three days later when they already know that they've |
| 2:07.7 | hired or planned on hiring this white guy? |
... |
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