Will there ever be a Black NFL commissioner? Maybe, and here's the perfect candidate | Opinion
In February for Black History Month, USA TODAY Sports is publishing the series “28 Black Stories in 28 Days.” We examine the issues, challenges and opportunities Black athletes and sports officials continue to face after the nation’s reckoning on race following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. This is the third installment of the series.
One day, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will retire, and when he does, the league will have an opportunity to make a major statement by hiring a Black commissioner to replace him.
The player base, after all, is significantly Black. The NFL could send a major message, both to other sports leagues and society in general, that it wants to acknowledge and respect those Black players.
In fact, if that happened, the NFL would be the first major American professional sports league to ever have a Black commissioner. The NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB have never had one.
The NFL is a particularly interesting case because the lack of Black head coaches remains a significant issue.
So, in the NFL, will it happen anytime soon?
Nah.
In our lifetimes? Maybe.
If it is going to happen, there's one person who'd be a perfect candidate. His name is Troy Vincent.
'Didn't look the part': The reasons Black coaches don't get NFL head coaching jobs
The ideal candidate
Vincent is one of the top executives in the league and has a close relationship with Goodell. He's one of only a handful of league executives who has a good relationship with owners, players and team front offices. He's also liked by a large swath of the media.
Vincent is respected for his bluntness and how he's not a political animal.
In many ways, he's perfect for the job.
The ideal world doesn't exist
In a perfect world, Vincent is ideal but, yeah, LOL, this isn't a perfect world.
The NFL can barely hire Black coaches, and it's going to name a Black commissioner? You see the problem.
Plus, Vincent is more on the operations side, and NFL owners would likely want someone more from the financial or television side. Also, though I don't think she'd take the job, the league might look to Condoleezza Rice before Vincent.
Not to mention owners may not want a former player to hold the position, thinking he might be more sympathetic to the players than to ownership.
All of this is, of course, assuming Vincent would even want the job.
Inside the NFL owners meeting: White coaches challenge owners on league's diversity woes
When it could happen
If Goodell steps down, and Vincent is passed over, it might be decades before a Black person would be selected.
That's because the owners likely would want someone from the inside and there isn't a huge pipeline of Black candidates of color in the league.
If not Vincent or Rice, maybe there's a surprise candidate ...
... Maybe Barack Obama isn't too busy.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will NFL ever have Black commissioner? Troy Vincent is ideal candidate
