As promised, the NFL is bringing back its Accelerator program.
And in Florida, of all places.
What a striking coincidence. A year after the NFL tabled the coach and front office development initiative and pledged to constitute a “reimagined” program, Accelerator 2.0, if you will, debuts on Monday before league meetings kick off in Orlando under the shadow of the anti-DEI attacks – and a fresh investigative subpoena – spearheaded by Florida AG James Uthmeier.
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Go ahead, NFL. Do your thing. Sort of.
Here’s something significant to note about the new Coach and Front Office Accelerator program that contrasts the spirit of Uthmeier’s off-base contentions of unfair, discriminatory labor practices: For the first time since its inception in 2022, the Accelerator program will not be limited to diverse participants.
Was that a response to Uthmeier’s letter on March 25, which slammed the Rooney Rule and other diversity initiatives? Hardly. This was the expectation long before that letter. And shoot, given a political climate injected with anti-DEI dogma, it would have been a shock if the NFL didn’t expand the Accelerator program beyond minorities and women.
For the NFL, it’s damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t.
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Why does the NFL need a Rooney Rule?
Look at the track record, silly. In the most recent hiring cycle, zero Black candidates were chosen for any of the 10 head coach openings, with just one person of color, Robert Saleh, the Tennessee Titans coach of Lebanese descent, hired for a top job. Over the past two cycles, the New York Jets’ Aaron Glenn was the only Black candidate hired among 17 openings. And when Eric Bieniemy returned earlier this year to the Kansas City Chiefs, it snapped a string of 30 offensive coordinator jobs – the most substantial path to a head coaching role – filled by white men.
No, the Rooney Rule doesn’t mandate hiring. It merely requires that minorities are granted interviews – which people like Uthmeier think is some sort of crime.
Yet given the track record of NFL teams while hiring for the most powerful and visible coaching jobs, there’s an obvious need for the league to address what has historically been an uneven playing field in the hiring process. Too often, Black candidates with deeper resumes – including some with Super Bowl credentials – have been passed over for the top jobs that went to others.
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More from Jarrett Bell: NFL’s diversity lip service has Black coaches stuck in ‘Groundhog Day’ | Opinion
So, in a league where roughly 70% of the players are Black, in a league expanding its international footprint, and in a league with a fan base that transcends ethnic, gender and socioeconomic boundaries, the commitment to diversity is noble.
Let the record show, too, that no white coach or front office candidate has taken any legal action against the NFL or any of its teams, alleging reverse discrimination.
NFL maintains stance on diversity
Then again, for as much as the NFL promotes diversity as a core value – “I believe diversity is good for us,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated recently – the league is also fighting a class-action lawsuit headed by Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores that alleges he was subjected to “sham” interviews by teams (the New York Giants and Denver Broncos) to apparently comply with the Rooney Rule after his dismissal by the Miami Dolphins after the 2021 season.
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Damned if they do, damned if they don’t. While the NFL is being targeted by anti-DEI factions, it has also petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower court ruling and force Flores’ case from open court to arbitration – where Goodell would hold the authority to rule on his dispute.
Going back further, remember, NFL owners on one hand stood up to Donald Trump’s rhetoric during the national anthem protests inspired by Colin Kaepernick…and on the other hand not a single one ever signed another check for the apparently banished quarterback to play again in the NFL.
All of that history matters for context as the NFL tries to shield itself from the attacks stemming from a mission to do the right thing, as Spike Lee might put it.
In any event, it appears there will be a 60/40 split of diverse/non-diverse participants this time around for the new Accelerator program, which typically involves lectures, strategy, workshops and networking opportunities.
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More changes to NFL’s Accelerator Program
Another change: Organizers have scrapped the part of the program that resembled “speed-dating” and matched NFL owners and participants in quick meet-and-greet moments. Good move.
It flows with an aim for more quality time to network with NFL owners, some of whom are expected to engage in breakfast and lunch sessions on Tuesday. Networking can be so critical because “comfort level” is undoubtedly viewed as a key factor for decision-makers in making a hire.
Yet the chances for more efficient use of time also seemingly increases because the number of participants in the program has been significantly cut back. In previous Accelerator programs, more than 60 participants – prospective head coach and general manager candidates – were in the mix as each NFL team could send as many as two members from their staffs to engage.
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This time, it is expected that there will be no more than 30 participants (16 front office, 12-14 coaches), with the NFL approving potential candidates submitted by teams. Largely from a pool that includes coordinators and assistant GMs, the candidates are considered a step away from the top jobs.
With fewer participants, there will conceivably be richer engagement.
Now, if everybody can just get a fair shot – which is hardly a crime.
Contact Bell at [email protected] or follow on X: @JarrettBell
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL Accelerator program reimagined amid attacks on Rooney Rule, DEI initiatives
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