Rev. (Jesse) Jackson Wants NFL to Heavily Penalize Lions

AOl/Sportsticker ^ | 2-6-2003

[Guillermo]

Rev. Jackson Wants NFL to Heavily Penalize Lions

Upset No Minorities Interviewed for Job

SportsTicker

CHICAGO (Feb. 6) -- Rev. Jesse Jackson has demanded that the NFL investigate the hiring of Steve Mariucci, saying the Detroit Lions violated the league's policy requiring teams to consider at least one minority for coaching positions.

The Lions targeted Mariucci as their coach after he was fired by the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 15 and did not conduct any other in-person interviews.

"Steve Mariucci may be a fine coach, and may have emerged as the selection anyway," Jackson said. "However the selection process is flawed if no minority candidates were given serious consideration as the NFL's policy dictates."

Under criticism by civil rights attorneys Johnnie Cochran and Cyrus Mehri for their practice of hiring minorities, the NFL implemented a comprehensive program to promote diversity in their coaching and front office ranks based upon recommendations of the NFL Committee on Workplace Diversity.

Appointed by commissioner Paul Tagliabue on Oct. 31, the committee is headed by Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney. Under recommendations of the committee, NFL team owners strongly agreed on the principle that any club seeking to hire a head coach will interview one or more minority applicants for the position.

Rooney indicted the Lions on Tuesday, saying their search "fell short of what the committee recommends for all clubs as agreed."

Jackson believes Rooney's comment on Detroit's selection process "in itself, is the smoking gun."

Jackson urged for Detroit to be heavily penalized, including fines and disqualification from the upcoming college draft, or else "other teams will violate the hiring process."

There are only three black head coaches in the league with the recent hire of Marvin Lewis by the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Lions fired Marty Mornhinweg on Dec. 27 with the intention of hiring Mariucci, who was born and raised in Iron City, Mich.

Meanwhile, the 49ers have gone through a lengthy interview process, interviewing numerous black candidates and two are among the finalists for the job -- defensive coordinators Ted Cottrell of the New York Jets and Greg Blache of the Chicago Bears.

"There were several black coaches available between the end of the season and when Mariucci was fired," Jackson said. "If Detroit was earnest, why were they not given an opportunity to interview for the job? Mariucci was the only coach to have an in-person interview. (Lions) general manager Matt Millen never named any other candidate for the job."

Knowing that Mariucci was the likely coach, several black coaches refused to interview with Millen for the job, but Jackson believes that is irrelevant.

"Would you interview for a job you already know is going to someone else?" Jackson said. "Would you allow yourself to be used by the Lions so they could get around the NFL policy? These men are not fools and shouldn't be treated that way."

02-06-03 18:34 ET

[Liberatio]

Jessie, it is time to punt!!!

[GreatOne]

The NFL screwed up hugely by even being suckered into playing this game. Don't these idiots ever learn? You give into race hucksterism once, and it'll forever be there. Like letting a cockroach into your home - it'll never leave, and it'll bring a lot more.

[holymoly]

"And, speaking as an Italian-American, I think Jesse should be giving the Lions some credit for hiring a minority
coach like Steve Mariucci."

Yea, he's the NFL's first yoo-per head coach (I think.) ;)

[freedumb2003]

>>NFL teams would hire Martians if they could produce results.<<

Yeah, but then you have that proportinality thing -- Martians over-represented in the coaching ranks, under-represented in the players -- and how come there aren't any Martians in the front offices? Huh? Clear Homosapien-ism!

Clearly these guys need a spokesperson. Hey, how about someone who is 100% irrelevent, even as a spokesperson for "his" people?

[Dan from Michigan]

Who in the blue hell died and make Jesse Jerkson a football expert. When he coaches a few games, he can then come talk to me. Else that loudmouth shakedown artist needs to quit bitching, sit down, know his role, and shut the hell up.

[groanup]

"Yeah, but then you have that proportinality thing"

Equality of outcome is more important than equality of opportunity. That is the mantra that is tearing American society apart.

[sharktrager]

I heard he proposed that they have to take Al Davis if they want Mariucci.

[mrb1960]

Why don't someone tell that no good clintoon wannabe to just go home and "leave the hiring to the professionals."

The man is the worst excuse for a bag of skin that I have ever seen.

[jqpublic]

Knowing that Mariucci was the likely coach, several black coaches refused to interview with Millen for the job, but Jackson believes that is irrelevant.

As far as Rev. Jackson goes, his refusal to accept the fact that "several black coaches refused to interview" for the job is despicable.

Apparently, the good Reverend is scraping the bottom of the barrel now... Talk about irrelevant.

I'm sorry, but skin color should NOT be an issue... Doesn't a coaches ability to inspire his players to reach their full potential count for something?

If the choice were between Dennis Green (ex-Viking's head coach) or Steve Mariucci - hands down I'd vote for Mariucci (even though I can't STAND him). Why would I vote for Mariucci? At least he has the "killer instinct" and can inspire his players to reach their full potential.

J.Q.

[Dan(9698)]

>>>...Speaking as a Lions fan, just how is Jesse going to "punish" the Lions?

That will be five yards, to be assessed on kickoff. :-)

[RckyRaCoCo]

the lions penalize themselves plenty, they don't need any help from this moron

[groanup]

"The man is the worst excuse for a bag of skin that I have ever seen"

LOL. I like your simile.

[Chu Gary]

Guillermo,

It seems to me that the group being discriminated against is not the blacks but the #1 minority in the U.S. - the Hispanics. Shouldn't the hiring focus now be on getting some top flight (a bit of a shameless pun) Hispanics as head football coaches. They have all the qualifications - they aren't white males.

Oh wait, Martha Burke just called...

[MHT]

First off, this man should not be called "Reverend". His degree is dubious and his spirituality or personal behavior do not set an example for anyone striving to get closer to God. Secondly, everything he does is motivated by hate--envy of others and their hard work--or by personal ambition. He works in opposition to the Prayer of St. Francis for "where there is peace", Jackson sows hate. Thirdly, his actions and poisonous words spread class warfare and divisions between people rather than unity. "Rev" Jackson gives real ministers a bad name. The devil himself could not be served by a better pupil than such an egomanical hatemonger. He makes Judas' actions look crude by comparison. Jackson is the master at brewing discontent. Shame on the media for giving him any attention and shame on us for not fighting such evil.

[mhking]

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[mikrofon]

"Would you interview for a job you already know is going to someone else?" Jackson said .... "These men are not fools and shouldn't be treated that way like me."

[THE Aardvark]

I think Jesse had a son that played college ball way back when. Of course, it was not at a traditionally black college, but the University of Virginia. I wonder if Jesse had to use his "influence" to get him in or to get playing time.

[ontos-on]

It is important for the sake of sanity in this country, that this kind of attack be repulsed with appropriate disdain. It is contrary to what my America is about that there ever be a rule that provides for the treatment of people according to their skin color alone --and with sanctions threatened and/or imposed for the failure to indulge the craven "genulflection" to race hucksters. This is Exhibit "A" of what is meant by "race huckstering". Jackson knows it is idiocy --would have been idiocy -- in this instancce for Negroes [supposedly having to be qualified by the criterion of sufficient melanin content of the "non-candidate's" skin] to be interviewed just for the purpose of satisfying Jackson that he had successfully cowed the team owners so that they would feel compelled to go through the follish Kabuki dance.

Nothing could be more hateful and cynical in calling for and threatening penalties for the courage to be reasonable.

[hchutch]

IIRC, the Lions called FIVE minority assistant coaches. All five declined the invitiation to interview for the vacancy.

I do not think Matt Millen should have been expected to put the team on hold to find someone to interview when the new head coach would have to put together a coaching staff and deal with the draft and free agency.

If Millen sticks with those talking points, it will be hard for any punishment of the Lions to stick.

[BaBaStooey]

The Lions attempted to interview more than one minority coach for the position (simply to fufill the quota, as they fired their coach specifically when Mooch became available). The potential black candidates, angry at what they have become as a result of the quota, refused to interview with Detroit. They made an effort to meet the quota, and were refused more than once. What more do they expect from Detroit?