Inclusive Hiring

Building a diverse pipeline of coaches and front office candidates is key to the NFL’s continued success.

The NFL and its clubs have created many programs to promote inclusion in coaching and front office roles — programs that go well beyond the Rooney Rule. By nurturing a more diverse pool of coaches and executives, the NFL makes the game stronger and more inclusive, and can ultimately render the Rooney Rule unnecessary.

“We should be creating a workplace culture that doesn’t require mandates to interview people of color and minorities," said Troy Vincent, Sr., Executive Vice President of NFL Football Operations. "They should be doing the right thing for the right reasons, not because there’s a policy.”

Developing the Pipeline

Although hiring decisions are made by owners of all 32 NFL clubs, the league is working to expand the pool of diverse candidates available during each hiring cycle. Through these initiatives, the league provides more opportunities for diverse coaching and front office candidates.

Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship

Each year, all 32 NFL clubs hire candidates for the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. The fellowship is administered by each club and lasts throughout training camp and the preseason. Candidates are selected based on NFL playing experience or coaching experience in high school, college, or professional football.

Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship

Ashton Washington of the Chicago Bears. (AP)

The Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship exposes qualified men and women to a career in professional scouting. Open to former college and professional players and college football scouts, the fellowship introduces them to various aspects of college and professional scouting within an NFL club. The fellowship is named after Bill Nunn, Pro Football Hall of Fame member and longtime personnel director for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and John Wooten, an NFL Legend and front-office executive.

In 2021, Ashton Washington became the Chicago Bears’ first full-time female scout after joining the organization through the Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship. Washington previously worked for the University of Illinois and Texas Tech University. She now serves as the Bears’ player personnel coordinator.

College All-Star Games

To provide increased opportunities for leading coaching candidates, the NFL has partnered with three leading college all-star games:

NFL Club Fellowships

In addition to the league-wide Bill Walsh and Nunn-Wooten fellowships, many NFL clubs have team-specific fellowships that aim to provide more diversity among coaching and front office candidates.

Arizona Cardinals: Owner Bill Bidwill created the Bidwill Coaching Fellowship program in 2015 to provide diverse individuals with more coaching opportunities at the highest level.
Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens’ Fellowship for Diversity in Football program places qualified minority and women candidates in roles in coaching, analytics, strength and conditioning, player engagement and athletic training.
Denver Broncos: The Billy Thompson Diversity Coaching Fellowship provides coaching opportunities to diverse candidates. The fellowship is named for the legendary Broncos safety, who played and worked for the organization for 42 years.
Detroit Lions: The William Clay Ford Minority Coaching Assistantship gives diverse candidates the opportunity to gain coaching experience at the NFL level.
Indianapolis Colts: The Tony Dungy Diversity Fellowship gives diverse and talented football candidates the opportunity to gain valuable experience. The program is named for legendary Colts head coach Tony Dungy, the first Black head coach to win the Super Bowl. The Colts hire one fellow for the offense and the defense each year.
Kansas City Chiefs: In 2021, the Chiefs introduced the Norma Hunt Training Camp Fellowship Program. Named after the matriarch of the team, the annual fellowship hires female candidates into the club’s personnel department.
Los Angeles Chargers: The Donald H. Yee Fellowship Program provides in-depth, hands-on experience in football operations for leaders in the Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
Los Angeles Rams: The Rams’ Scouting Apprenticeship program, launched in 2020, gives deserving minority and female candidates exposure to NFL scouting through training, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
Minnesota Vikings: The Gilliam-Reichow Personnel Fellowship works in conjunction with the Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship to create opportunities and hands-on education for diverse personnel and scouting aspirants.
New York Giants: The Rosie Brown Minority Coaching Fellowship, launched in 2022, honors Pro Football Hall of Famer Rosie Brown, a former Giants offensive lineman, coach and scout.
Tennessee Titans: The Amy Adams Strunk Women in Football internship gives women an opportunity to work in scouting, coaching, and operations. In 2021, Mical Johnson became the Titans’ first full-time female scout after completing the internship.
Washington Commanders: The Doug Williams Diversity Coaching Fellowship is awarded to an HBCU coach who will work as an offensive assistant for the team. The fellowship is named for Washington legend Doug Williams — an HBCU graduate who became the first Black starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl.

Expand

The East-West Shrine Bowl is the nation’s oldest collegiate all-star game. The NFL selects the coaching staff and game officials for the annual East-West Shrine Bowl. Teams choose deserving assistant coaches who get the opportunity to show off their skills in the week before and during the game. In addition, NFL Legends serve as mentors to the Shrine Bowl players and coaches throughout the week.
The Senior Bowl showcases the top NFL Draft-eligible seniors in the country. The league provides two full coaching, training, video and equipment staffs, as well as Legends Captains to support the game. The game’s Minority Coaching Fellowship program, launched in 2022, adds accomplished HBCU coaches to the Senior Bowl staffs.
The HBCU Legacy Bowl showcases the best NFL Draft-eligible players from HBCUs.

Networking Opportunities

Promoting networking opportunities is a key component of the NFL’s long-term efforts to promote fair and inclusive hiring practices.

“Networking is currency for professional mobility in the NFL,” said Troy Vincent, Executive VP of NFL Football Operations. “It allows people to get to know one another, build trust, and share goals and aspirations. And it is the key to matching experience with job opportunities.”

Coach and Front Office Accelerator

The league hosted its inaugural Coach and Front Office Accelerator at the 2022 Spring League Meeting in Atlanta. The program provides experienced female and minority prospects with leadership development sessions and time to network directly with club owners.

Each club nominated rising prospects to participate in the inaugural two-day program, which brought together more than 60 diverse head coach and general manager prospects with ownership representatives from all 32 clubs.

“The (Accelerator) program helps ensure that clubs receive exposure to high-performing, up-and-coming NFL talent, and candidates get a chance to learn the business on a working level from team owners and executives.” — Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner

Quarterback Coaching Summit

The Quarterback Coaching Summit provides a platform to help prepare, educate and identify quality minority candidates for offensive and quarterback coaching positions. The summit, presented in partnership with the Black College Football Hall of Fame, boasts alumni including Minnesota Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Assistant Marcus Brady, and Houston Texans Offensive Coordinator Pep Hamilton.

Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum

The Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum gives diverse front office candidates the opportunity to learn from and network with top executives from around the league. The forum, founded in 2021, is presented in partnership with the Black College Football Hall of Fame.

“The Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum and Quarterback Coaching Summit are part of our ongoing efforts to establish a cultural norm of opportunity for all," said Vincent, Sr. "It's a steadfast commitment to developing a diverse and inclusive workforce.”

Women’s Careers in Football Forum

The Women’s Careers in Football Forum helps the NFL identify women currently working in college football roles to join its next generations of leaders. The Forum includes two days of panel discussions, presentations and breakout sessions. Participants learn from and connect with team owners, general managers, coaches and executives in the NFL and in college football programs.

Six full-time coaches and nine coaching fellows will be on the sidelines for 10 clubs at the beginning of the 2022 season. Of the 15 women coaches, 12 have participated in the Women’s Careers in Football Forum.

HBCU Careers in Football Forum

The NFL is dedicated to increasing opportunities for students and administrators from HBCUs. The HBCU Careers in Football Forum provides HBCU students and entry-level athletic department staff members the chance to learn about careers in the sports industry and the NFL. The 2021 event convened over 170 participants from 43 HBCUs.

Tracking Progress

Inclusion makes the game stronger, and the programs dedicated to building a more inclusive game have set the NFL on a path towards a more inclusive future.

Of the 722 on-field coaches in the NFL during the 2022 season, 314 (43.5%) identify as non-white, which is believed to be the largest figure in NFL history.

The league tracks its progress through the annual Diversity and Inclusion Report, which provides an overview and analysis of occupational mobility patterns in the NFL. The report is prepared by Dr. C. Keith Harrison of the University of Central Florida, who analyzes occupational access barriers and mobility patterns of NFL general managers, offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators and other primary NFL team position coaches.

In some cases, updates to league rules help to facilitate greater inclusion in hiring. In 2020 and 2021, the NFL expanded the Rooney Rule to raise the bar for coaching and front office hiring.

In 2022, the league announced a new requirement that all teams must employ a female or minority coach as an offensive assistant. Candidates with three or more years of collegiate or professional experience are eligible. Each offensive assistant is hired for a full year-long contract.

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