Eugene Chung, a former Super Bowl winning assistant coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, said that he was told by an NFL executive that he was “not the right minority” for a coaching job, CNN reports.
A seven-year veteran of the league, Chung is believed to be only the third player of Korean descent to ever play in the NFL. “It was absolutely mind-blowing to me that in 2021, something like that is actually a narrative,” Chung, who is Korean, told the Boston Globe. Chung did not name the football team or the individual involved.
“If the comments regarding his status as a Korean American are true, it is further evidence that despite good faith changes to diversity-related policies, the NFL’s actual hiring practices are still riddled with discrimination,” the Fritz Pollard Alliance, a group dedicated to furthering diversity in the NFL, said in a statement.
In 2003, the NFL adopted the so-called Rooney Rule, requiring teams to interview at least one “diverse” candidate for head coaching jobs, which has been expanded to include other executive and coaching positions.
“That comment is completely inappropriate and contrary to league values and workplace policies. The NFL and its clubs are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all personnel in a manner that is consistent with our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” the league said in a statement.