So many NFL coaches were shuffled around during this year’s cycle. Nine teams decided to part ways with their head honcho, one left on his own terms, and eight of those vacancies have already been filled. However, amid the movement, only one Black or minority head coach has been hired, and Ryan Clark is starting to grow tired of the pattern.
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It’s no secret that the NFL, and sports in general, have struggled with diversity at the head coach level. Most head coaches are predominantly older, white, American men. The NFL, for its part, has even taken steps to address the lack of minority coaches through DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives.
One of those initiatives is the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview two minority candidates when they have a head coach opening. Another involves incentivizing teams with compensatory draft picks for developing minority coaches who later become head coaches or GMs elsewhere. However, Clark does not believe those measures go far enough, and in his view, the results back that up.
We still have not seen many minority head coaches hired in recent years, and Clark says nepotism plays a major role.
“Hiring often stems from relationships & familiarity. It’s clouded by nepotism and favoritism,” Clark stated during a recent episode of The Pivot podcast.
“There needs to be a pipeline, a system, and lower level entry program that allows coaches to grow. Tony Dungy & Sean McVay understand this. We need more like them,” added the former safety.
All organizations should hire the best coach for the job regardless of color. So, how do more minority coaches become the best person for the job? In this coaching cycle we have seen retreads, rehires, & the same familiar faces.
Hiring often stems from relationships &… pic.twitter.com/a2AzgRhnMX
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) January 31, 2026
Tony Dungy was famously the first black head coach to ever win a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts in 2007. On top of this, he was known for developing minority coaches like Lovie Smith, Herm Edwards, Mike Tomlin, Jim Caldwell, and Rod Marinelli. All eventually became head coaches with other franchises.
What Clark is saying is that it would be nice to have more coaches like Dungy today. If there were coaches who actively looked to develop minority assistants, they would be far more present around the league. But we simply have not seen many do that since the Dungy era.
As Clark mentioned, though, Sean McVay has seemingly offered more opportunities to minority coaches over the years. So maybe his approach will encourage others around the league to follow suit. After all, being rewarded with draft picks for developing a coach is a pretty sweet incentive.
All in all, the NFL will continue trying to address issues surrounding DEI. But for the time being, until coaches and teams fully buy in, there will always be an invisible racial barrier to entry into those positions. It is about as unfair as it gets.
