NFL to Reward Teams for Developing Minority Talent at Top Organizational Levels

Teams will receive draft pick compensation if minority coaches or execs are poached by other clubs

NFL to Reward Teams for Developing Minority Talent at Top Organizational Levels
Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on against the Houston Texans at Heinz Field.
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NFL owners have voted to reward teams for developing minority coaches and executives who go on to become important pieces for other clubs.

Under the proposal that was approved on Tuesday which still needs to be signed off on by the NFLPA, teams that lose a minority coach or executive to a head coaching position or primary football executive role with another club will receive a third-round compensatory pick for two consecutive years. If a team loses a minority coach and an exec to both head coach and general manager/president roles, that club will receive a third-round compensatory pick for three consecutive years.

“This is an important initiative for the NFL and we have often said we don’t know if there’s one specific step that’s going to make the difference,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “So our effort here is to continue to look at everything we’re doing to try to improve our policies, our procedures, to encourage and to get the results we want, which is more diversity and inclusion within our ranks.”

Speaking of minority coaches in the NFL, Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the longest-tenured Black coach in the NFL. With the Steelers improving to 8-0 on Sunday, Tomlin clinched his 14th straight non-losing season.

The only other NFL coach to begin his coaching career with 14th straight seasons of .500 or better is Marty Schottenheimer.

Also on Tuesday, league owners approved the previously discussed contingency plan to expand the NFL playoffs from 14 to 16 teams should the league be forced to add an extra week to the season due to COVID-19 leading to the postponement of games.

In the latest round of testing in the NFL which was conducted between November 1-7, a total of 56 employees, including 15 players and 41 staff members, returned confirmed positive COVID-19 tests. That’s more than double the total number of positive tests from any other testing period.

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