Minority GM, coach candidates invited to meet NFL owners

By BARRY WILNER
AP Pro Football Writer

Even though the NFL attempted to enhance opportunities for minority candidates to become head coaches in a league whose players are 70% Black, there was a disconnect. Same thing for front office positions, although more improvement had been seen in recent years in that area. Those diverse prospects in many cases were strangers to the people making the hiring decisions. And when the number of minority head coaches on the 32 teams stagnated — it is six for 2022, including three Black men, one biracial, one Hispanic and one Lebanese — the NFL sought a different path for potential coaches and general managers. It has come up with the inaugural Coach and Front Office Accelerator that will take place next Monday and Tuesday at owners meetings in Atlanta.