Las Vegas — Stephen A. Smith has accused the Washington Commanders of racism following their hire of Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator. “When we look at someone like Kliff Kingsbury from a historical viewpoint, what do we perceive as black people? “This is the type of thing that does not happen to black people,” Smith remarked on ESPN. Kingsbury, 44, has previously served as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and Texas Tech. He most recently served as an assistant coach at USC.
Are there racial matters at play here? Smith, the loudest voice at ESPN and maybe the loudest voice in all of sports media, is obviously suggesting that Kingsbury being white led him to get this opportunity.
Some may argue that the situation is more complicated that that, and that a wider lens might be needed in assessing the NFL’s hiring practices here. One consideration: Kingsbury worked with possible top draft pick Caleb Williams, the USC quarterback – and Washington has the No. 2 overall pick in this NFL Draft.
Meanwhile, of the seven head coach openings in this cycle, four were filled by people of color. “It’s tremendously significant,” said Adrien Bouchet, director of The Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports and author of this year’s NFL report card on hiring. “This year, it seems like it’s moved the needle pretty well.” Additionally, involved in this story as we examine whether the Commanders harbor a racist climate: The previous head coach and coordinator are Ron Rivera and Eric Bieniemy, both people of color. Part of the ownership group that helped select new head coach Quinn is Magic Johnson, who is Black. And Quinn’s pick as his top defensive aide is Joe Whitt Jr., who is Black and who will be a first-time coordinator. Nevertheless, Smith sees a problem.
