Over 200 minority candidates gained exposure to NFL coaches and scouts through this year’s Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching and Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowships. The news comes on the heels of former longtime NFL reporter Jim Trotter’s racial discrimination lawsuit against the league, which has NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the hot seat.
One hundred sixty-five diverse candidates reportedly completed the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship, and 36 fellows completed the Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship.
Named after the Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh and established in 1987, The Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship “provides opportunities for diverse college and high school coaches, as well as former players at NFL clubs,” per the NFL.
In addition, The Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship, implemented in 2015 by NFL executives Bill Nunn and John Wooten, exposes qualified candidates to scouting opportunities within the league.
Is it Enough?
“We have six fellows who are now on an NFL coaching staff, which shows that the program is vital and the high caliber of great coaches looking for an opportunity,” Houston Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans said in a statement. “I’m thankful for all the guys who have helped us during training camp.”
Both fellowships are designed to offer hands-on experience in the NFL, allowing fellows to learn the game’s intricacies and strengthen their ability to spot talent by working alongside experienced NFL scouts.
However, Jim Trotter says the league has a long way to go. During the week before the last Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, Trotter asked Goodell about the league’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion beyond the sidelines, front offices, and all aspects of the company. Minorities have been underrepresented in every single aspect of the NFL besides players.
After holding Goodell accountable, he was fired from NFL Media, and a lawsuit was lobbed at the league.
“I hope this lawsuit leads to real change across the league and in the newsroom,” Trotter posted on ‘X,’ formerly called Twitter. “It is on the backs of a majority black player population that owners have made billions and those players deserve to have someone who shares their cultural and life experiences at the table when decisions are being made about how they are being covered.”
The Long Road Ahead
However, are opportunities like the fellowships a glimpse into the solution?
The fellowships \are designed as a vocational tool to increase the number of full-time NFL minority coaches. All 32 NFL clubs reportedly participate each year with aspects of the program, like hiring, compensation, and coaching duties, administered on a club-by-club basis.
“The Bills organization offers Coaching Fellows the full experience of what being a coach in the NFL is like,” 2023 Buffalo Bills Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellow Amelia Wilson said. Wilson is the Offensive Student Assistant for Quarterbacks at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
“From my first day, I was included, respected, and treated as a coach and that is a credit to the environment created by Coach McDermott and the Bills organization,” Wilson continued.
The NFL has a long way to go, and if more opportunities across more sectors of the league aren’t created, pressure like Jim Trotter’s lawsuit certainly will keep the fire hot under the league’s most visible seats.
