What's wrong with the NFL is Tom Brady's son becoming a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player.
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Nepotism is rampant
This is the main reason why many Black players can't find jobs after their playing career ends in the league.
You can laugh if you wish.
It's both wrong and sad.
Too often, black coaches, owners and front office staff hire and promote their family members. Black players make up almost 75 percent of the league's field. However, they are often prevented from getting in through the coaching backdoor.
Their white counterparts are not so lucky.
The NFL has seen a lot of father-son relationships. White fathers hire their children to coach and then put them in a position to become head coaches.
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Imagine a Black person, who did not play football in college but played golf, and getting an NFL head coach job.
Sound ludicrous? Ridiculous even?
That was Todd Haley's reality.
Haley's father was once the director of player personnel at the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, and was also an NFL cornerback.
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Todd Haley was a child just like Brady's son, and attended Steelers training camps together. Haley did not follow his father's lead and never played beyond the youth level of football.
Instead, Haley played college golf at the University of Florida as well as the University of Miami.
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In 1991, he graduated from the University of North Florida with a communications degree.
This should have been the block to the NFL and a lucrative coaching job.
Nope.
Haley, who had risen up the NFL ladder in the wake of his father's 1995 hiring him as a Jets player, was appointed the Kansas City Chiefs head coaching position and was awarded a four-year contract. He was 19-27 as a head coach, with one playoff loss. He was then abruptly fired, with his team at 5-8 in 2011.
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But somehow, Kyle Shanahan, the San Francisco 49ers' coach, was woken up by the Black Lives Matter movement in June last year.
Why are only four Black coaches among the 32 head coaches? He said that there were only two GMs. We were in a predominantly (Black) league, and the majority of our players were Black. It's hard to argue that there aren't many.
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Strange.
To be truthful, it is absurd
Black coaches don't have fathers who are able to hire them.
Kyle was hooked up in D.C. by Mike Shanahan. Kyle was his father's offensive coordinator for four seasons. In three of Kyle's four first years, Washington's offense was ranked 25th-26th and 23rd, respectively.
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This is the NFL's standard behavior. Numerous companies have policies that prohibit nepotism. The NFL had to create the Rooney Rule. This required that all applicants from minorities be interviewed for top-level front office positions and head coaching jobs. Teams can be fined or face other penalties if they fail to comply.
Rod Marinelli, the Lions' 2006 hire, was not shy about putting his family and friends on the Detroit payroll. Talk about outrageous. Marinelli, who had never served as a head coach at any level, high school or college, hired Joe Barry, his son-in law, to be his defensive coordinator. Barry's father was Mike. Mike was Detroit's assistant offensive line coach. Many others were able to cash the checks for the Lions, too.
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They are not the only ones who love the Marinellis. It's not easy to find family. Here's a list: Dick, Mike Nolan, Marty, Brian Schottenheimer and Don, Dave, and Mike Shula. Bum Phillips and Wade Phillips. Mike and Kyle Shanahan. Buddy, Rex, and Rob Ryan. Two of Bill Belichick's children, Brian and Steve, are part of his staff in New England. Andy Reid, a Kansas City resident, has also hired his children, despite previous drug arrests. Britt was charged with a DWI in a multi-vehicle accident that left a 5-year-old girl with serious injuries. This happened just days before Super Bowl LV. Britt's blood alcohol level was.113 which is above the legal limit of 0.08.
It's funny, but there isn't one Black coach or his son on this list. It speaks volumes.
Many people still don't get Brady's point.
Most people will instead think it's cool that Brady's 13-year old son, Jack, was hired for training camp. It's a wonderful story. The end.
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There are many current players who would be thrilled to offer that opportunity to their sons. It won't happen. They don't know the right people, or they don't socialize in the same place.
Sure, there are many black or brown children in Tampa Bay whose fathers aren't NFL quarterbacks. They would love such an opportunity. That kid is not eligible.
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It's all about blood relations in the NFL. Remember this moment when Brady's child becomes a coach.
