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

[M Kehoe]

The Cat in the Hat is becoming more irrelevant every day. Pretty soon, he will be counciling i42 on diddling an intern or fathering a bastard.

Ooops, sorry, already happened. I must have had a brain fart.

5.56mm

[rintense]

This is such CRAP!

The major reason the Lions fired Marty was because they saw the Tampa Bay Bucs- that's right, the league's laughing stock for the past 20 years- get to the Super Bowl before the Lions. Millen (who I think is not cut out for front office football) wants to win, and seeing the Bucs do what the Lions have been trying to do for YEARS was the last straw.

Then, of course, you have the original guy the Lions wanted- Mariucci, fired and available. What NFL team in their right mind wouldn't have done what the Lions did?

If the Cochrans and Jacksons of this world want to go after Detroit, they'd better go after Dallas and Jacksonville first. Why should the Lions be penalized because 5 minority candidates chose not to interview? I'm sorry, but the new league guidelines only gives the minority coahces the excuse to pick and chose and bitch about what they don't get.

Complete and utter bullsh!t.

[Contra]

NBA teams should also be made to play at least one short Asian girl in every game. There is widespread discrimination against short Asian girls and towards tall, black males in the NBA.

[Petronski]

Hey Jesse, have a cookie!

[rintense]

quit bitching, sit down, know his role, and shut the hell up

You for got to add this: quit bitching, sit down, know his role, that steaming pile of monkey crap jabroni and shut the hell up.

[fuzzthatwuz]

Way to go Jesse, leave no pocket unpicked.

[political1]

Sylvester Croom, and Tony Nathon should tell J. Jackson to keep his nose out of NFL business.

[reg45]

Coach Mariucci should invite JJ to a practice session. He would make a good tackling dummy.

[harpu]

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

Maybe it's because the rest of the so called 'legitimate' candidates of 'color' just freeping SUCK!

[VMI70]

Exactly, but you are using higher order reasoning which is completely lost on Jessee and his minions.

[Dan from Michigan]

I can't say what I really want to say about this assclown since JimRob will ban me if I do.

I'd like like to know if he plans on coming to Detroit. I'd like to throw a football at his head, or at least give him some hell.

It's letter to the editor time though, I'll say that much.

[Randjuke]

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.

Hey, since the Niners interviewed numerous black guys and the Lions didn't interview any, that means the average token interview ratio is still well over one per team! Personally I think the Lions should trade the Niners for a black interviewee credit in exchange for a player to be named later.

[panther33]

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

I want the NFL to heavily penalize Rev. (Jesse) Jackson... don't mean it'll happen.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

May JJ reap the rewards from God he so richly deserves. My alter person says "F___ Jessie Jackson, the racist (N-word)...and when he rests, may it be in a place as hot as hell"

[M. Peach]

"just how is Jesse going to "punish" the Lions? "

I think Jesse would like to punish them in their pocketbook - with the proceeds coming directly to him....

[judgeandjury]

Too bad the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired that guy Gruden at the end of last season. If the Bucs had hired a black head coach instead, as I'm sure Jesse Jackson would've wanted them to, then maybe the Bucs could've had a decent year this past season.

[M. Peach]

"Shouldn't the hiring focus now be on getting some top flight (a bit of a shameless pun) Hispanics as head football coaches"

Let's see, I can think of one, Tom Flores? (and that was years ago) Can you think of any more?

[ApesForEvolution]

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

End of story, case closed. A better candidate emerged and there was no competition, because they didn't want to play if the candidate pool included a whitey...even if whitey was a better coach. What a joke.

[Kay Soze]

Bingo!
Whites, Asians and Latinos are hugely underrepresented in pro sports.

We need to require equal ratios of ethnic make up in these high paying JOBS.

[M. Peach]

Great point - I can't imagine how he can begin to justify his position - talk about intellectual dishonesty.....