Equality in NFL is back under microscope in light of Brian Flores' lawsuit against league over racist hiring policies. The inaugural HBCU Combine and Legacy Bowl, meanwhile, stand as landmark exposure for draft prospects. The spotlight on equality is critical, and must not stray.
Tuesday 15 February 2022 15:30, UK
NFL prospects belonging to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are faced with a prime window in which to showcase their talent on a national stage. No, scrap that…
*The NFL is faced with a prime window in which to showcase the talent of prospects belonging to historically black colleges and universities on a national stage.
Only, it should be more than a prime, designated window, more than an opportune spotlight for athletes that deserve the all-encompassing exposure granted to college football's Power 5 schools.
A week after Super Bowl LVI, the Black College Football Hall of Fame will present the inaugural HBCU Legacy Bowl from Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, creating a landmark televised audition for around 100 of the best NFL Draft-eligible players from HBCUs. While the postseason all-star game will serve as a headline act, the event also includes a week-long celebration of Black culture and history in addition to a Careers Fair designed to provide job opportunities and career counselling for seniors.
The Reese's Senior Bowl recently exploited its own blossoming 'Draft starts in Mobile' mantra by teaming up with the NFL to host the HBCU Combine in Alabama from January 28-30, when scouts and executives from all 32 teams interviewed and evaluated 39 players from 22 HBCUs in a process modelled on that of the annual NFL Combine. What's more, this year's Combine saw eight members of the HBCU Development and Women's Pipeline Initiative attend as athletic trainers, further amplifying diversity.
"I wish they had this opportunity for me 23 years ago," Green Bay Packers legend and Alcorn State alumnus Donald Driver told the NFL.
"HBCUs are a bridge to equality," said BCF Hall of Famer James Shack Harris upon the HBCU Legacy Bowl's announcement in March 2021.
The somewhat disheartening irony being that in the meantime the NFL's annual head coach divorce cycle has teetered on the unthinkable as the league stared at the possibility of the Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin entering the offseason as the only Black head coach.
That was the case on Tuesday February 1, on which day former Miami Dolphins head coach Flores sued the league and three of its teams for alleged racist hiring policies. Landmark lawsuit? Watershed moment? It really depends on what happens next, but Flores willingly risking his coaching career in the name of equality and racial justice should change the league forever. The NFL must see that it does.
On the surface lies simplicity, be it HBCU scouting or the league's failing Rooney Rule: a goal of heightened recognition, mere equal opportunity, eyes for the player rather than the programme to which he belongs or the community in which he grew up, eyes for expertise and the person underneath.
Upon the release of Flores' lawsuit, only one of the NFL's 32 teams had a Black head coach, only four had a Black offensive coordinator, 11 a black defensive coordinator, eight a black special teams coordinator, three a Black quarterbacks coach and six a Black General Manager. That's more than a malfunctioning system.
The Dolphins have since appointed Mike McDaniel as their new head coach, marking the first minority hire of the cycle given the former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator is multi-racial. Lovie Smith was meanwhile promoted by the Houston Texans to join Tomlin as one of just two Black head coaches in the league.
While questioning NFL commissioner Roger Goodell ahead of the Super Bowl, NFL Network's Jim Trotter pointed out that 13 franchises have never hired a black non-interim head coach.
This can not be a trigger point, a turning point, nor can it repeat the ignorance Colin Kaepernick faced. Moreover, HBCU exposure must not veil the prevalance of the NFL's minority hiring practices.
For the ninth time since 2000 last year not a single HBCU prospect was selected at the NFL Draft, following on from 2020 when Tennessee State's LaChavious Simmons was the only HBCU player to come off the board as a seventh-round pick for the Chicago Bears.
"It did hurt a little bit," said Virginia State linebacker/defensive end Javon Frazier. "It was a little discouraging. But at the same time, I feel like HBCU players are going to have a chip on their shoulder now. Like, you didn't draft one of us, I'm going to show you guys what you're missing."
Grambling State offensive guard David Moore was the highest-ranked Black college football prospect as a fourth or fifth round projection, North Carolina Central cornerback Bryan Mills was also projected to be taken in round four or five and North Carolina A&T cornerback Mac McCain was deemed a fifth or sixth round pick; the three of them were among 10 HBCU products eventually signed as undrafted free agents.
Moore is currently on a futures contract with the Cleveland Browns having originally landed with the Carolina Panthers, McCain signed a reserve/future deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in January having originally joined the Denver Broncos and Mills is a free agent. The three of them had marked just five HBCU players within the 460 listed on NFL.com's NFL Draft prospect tracker.
"Neglected and rejected" being the reaction from two-time Super Bowl champion and now Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders, whose presence in Mississippi has since teased signs of a power-shifting role in enhancing the HBCU scope.
Granted, the coronavirus pandemic proved another damning hindrance as it forced the cancellation of 99.9 per cent of HBCU football in 2020, depriving players of interaction and an audience with NFL scouts. Opt outs due to concerns over Covid meanwhile made for an enlarged draft class, thereby further reducing the chance of HBCU prospects gaining attention.
But there can be no excuse, not in a digitally savvy era of on-tap coach's film and zoom calls.
The introduction of the HBCU combine, the first of which was cancelled due to Covid last year, and the first ever Legacy Bowl is a step towards a more prominent presence on the scouting radar.
"It a great experience. I was a little apprehensive about the HBCU Combine at first because of the quick turnaround. But I looked at this like our opportunity as under-the-radar players to show we belong in the NFL. So many HBCU players before us didn't get this chance. I'm grateful. It was very important to show them my versatility."
As it stands 34 HBCU alumni from 17 different HBCUs have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including the likes of Jerry Rice, Michael Strahan, Mel Blount, Walter Payton, Marion Motley, Harry Carson, Art Shell and Shannon Sharpe.
Indianapolis Colts linebacker and former Defensive Rookie of the Year Darius Leonard (South Carolina State), Colts wide receiver Chester Rogers (Grambling State), Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (South Carolina State) and New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) were meanwhile among the NFL's 18 HBCU products to earn initial roster spots heading into the 2021 season.
The history is rich, and the talent is available. Evaluating it against small-school opposition can make the scouting process challenging, but it is for a similar reason that the Senior Bowl was relished as a glorious opportunity to assess small-school big-time Liberty quarterback Malik Willis up against top talent in order to gauge his first-round credentials.
"Throughout NFL history, HBCU athletes have exemplified a standard of excellence both on and off the field," says Troy Vincent, NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations. "The HBCU Combine is part of honouring that legacy and making every effort to accelerate exposure of HBCU draft prospects to all NFL clubs. The game is better when all have the opportunity to compete."
For all that some grumbled about the formation of the NFL-rivalling AFL in 1960, a major part of its legacy proved to be the opportunities it offered HBCU players at professional level.
Grambling State's Buck Buchanan became the first Black player ever to be drafted No. 1 overall when he became a Kansas City Chief in 1963. Four years later the Chiefs' Super Bowl-winning roster included 13 HBCU players, before eight HBCU players featured in the New York Jets team that shocked the Baltimore Colts, who notably included six HBCU players, at the 1969 Super Bowl.
The impact and success of HBCU players on the field would also play a key role upon the 1970 merger, before the integration of once predominantly or entirely all-white college teams resulted in HBCUs beginning to find themselves competing more against larger schools for the best Black talent.
College football's transfer portal has emerged as a more modern variable to contend with, allowing Power 5 and FBS schools to pluck the best HBCU players having previously overlooked them in the recruitment process. Last year saw Alcorn State defensive back Qwynterrio Cole sign on with the Louisville Cardinals, while Jackson State wide receiver Daylen Baldwin landed with Michigan in the Big Ten, to note just two examples.
Yes, it is enhanced recognition of HBCU football and opportunity for those that transfer, but also a potentially dangerous rich-getting-richer power flaunt. Additionally it poses a threat to the non-four and five-star recruits coming out of high school looking for their shot, while there is the counter-case to suggest top black athletes switching to Power 5 universities could lead to more HBCU scholarships for athletes that might have previously been overlooked.
The above also comes with the caveat of NIL deals and the lure of financial gain; players are entitled to finally be benefitting off their name and image, but it is a policy college football's coaches and powers above must avoid losing control of.
Sanders' arrival as Jackson State head coach has been a source of optimism in regards to influencing exposure for HBCU football, perhaps evidenced already by the nation's No. 1 high school recruit Travis Hunter decommitting from Florida State in order to team up with the two-time Super Bowl champion.
You can argue that it should not have needed a glamorous NFL name to ramp up HBCU attention, or you can appreciate the potential implications it has to turn more eyes towards both Jackson State talent along with that of their opponents.
The HBCU Combine and upcoming Legacy Bowl work, unequivocally, towards achieving the latter; as does Southern University offensive tackle Ja'Tyre Carter, Florida A&M safety Markquese Bell, South Carolina State cornerback Decobie Durant and Fayetteville State defensive back Joshua Williams attending this year's NFL Combine; as does Carter and Williams attending the Senior Bowl; as does Bell, Durant and Jackson State outside linebacker James Houston attending the Shrine Bowl.
Scouts will know Western Michigan wide receiver Skyy Moore from Purdue wide receiver David Bell, and Minnesota offensive tackle Daniel Faalele from Arizona State offensive tackle Kellen Diesch; they must also know Alcorn State outside linebacker Solomon Wise from Bethune-Cookman outside linebacker Untareo Johnson, and Delaware State wide receiver Kwannah Kollie from North Carolina A&T wide receiver Ron Hunt.
The most HBCU alumni active in the NFL at any one time was in 2019 when there were 32 players spread across the league.
Increased exposure could/should/must bump those numbers up. The current spotlight on equality is critical, and it must not stray.
