Diversity group wants to 'build a pipeline' of minority coaches in NFL

Representatives of the Fritz Pollard Alliance - a group that works closely with the NFL on hiring processes - plan to ask league officials to add two minority coaches in quality-control positions per team, group chairman John Wooten said Wednesday, according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post.

Wooten said the policy would allow minority coaches to get into the coaching pipeline and give them the opportunity to gain experience and earn promotions "toward becoming position coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators and, eventually, head coaches."

"It's very obvious to us all that if you're going to build a pipeline, you must follow the procedure that we're outlining," Wooten said. "I'm not talking about (coaching) internships. I'm talking about putting them in positions where they're going to have opportunities to advance. This should be done because this is what the league is about. The league is about opportunity. We know the road that we must travel."

The NFL recently modified the Rooney Rule - mandating that teams with a head coaching vacancy interview at least one minority candidate - so that at least one of the candidates come from outside the organization or from a list recommended by the league.

The Miami Dolphins are expected to hire New England Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores as their successor to Adam Gase after the Super Bowl. He would become just the fourth minority head coach along with Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Anthony Lynn of the Los Angeles Chargers, and Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers heading into the 2019 season.

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