NFL Has A Real Mess On Its Hands In Detroit

[WizardOfAz]

http://www.detnews.com/2003/lions/0303/07/h02-102592.htm

Inside the Game

Protest possible at Lions debate


By Terry Foster / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- The debate could turn into a circus. Angry that Johnnie Cochran and the Rev. Jesse Jackson are coming to town to discuss the Lions' hiring of Steve Mariucci, some Lions fans who have contacted me are considering protesting the panel discussion set for March 21 at the Charles Wright Museum.

The group is not organized yet, but it plans to recruit Lions fans the next couple of weeks.

The group feels the Lions are being unfairly singled out for violating the NFL's hiring policy, under which at least one minority candidate must be interviewed for every head-coaching vacancy.

After all, the hiring practices by Dallas, San Francisco and Jacksonville were all a sham. Those teams conducted only token minority interviews before hiring white head coaches.

For the defense

Lions fans aren't the only ones who should show up. President Matt Millen should be there, too.

Millen said he believes he did the right thing. He believes he was honest.

Detroit councilman Alonzo Bates said he's looking for someone to defend the Lions. What better person than Millen?

Debating Cochran and Jackson is no easy task, but Millen should defend his home turf.

Even if Millen doesn't attend, a representative of the team should.

The team shouldn't allow Cochran and Jackson to take center stage unchallenged in Lions country.


Mr. Mayor

While we are at it, why not invite Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick?

He has defended the Lions, twice saying he felt they were honest and fair.

Kilpatrick wrote a letter to NFL owners that was critical of the 49ers:

"Several qualified African-American candidates with successful NFL records were interviewed but passed over in favor of an individual (Dennis Erickson) without proven success in the NFL. Don't punish the Detroit Lions for being honest while celebrating the practices of other teams that undermine the intellect and talents of qualified African-American candidates."

It's one thing to write a letter to the NFL, but is Kilpatrick willing to face Cochran and Jackson?

I think he should show up, and bring it.


Man with a plan

Here's my solution.

Erase the mandate that a minority must be interviewed for each head-coaching position. It's a demeaning rule.

The NFL should have a multiracial panel that lists the top 10 or 15 assistants ready to be head coaches. If a team fires a coach, the panel would give that team the list and say it must interview three men on it. The team then could interview anyone else it wants either on or off the list.

Now, would a black be interviewed for every opening? Probably not. But this way, you force teams to interview the best candidates rather than having friends interviewing friends.

If you interview some of the best talent, I believe -- more times than not -- blacks would be part of the process naturally rather than forced.

You can reach Terry Foster at (313) 222-1494 or

 

[Dback Jon]

They should protest Cochrane and Jackson - both money-grubbing self-serving men.

The Lions did nothing wrong - they did not give sham interviews to candidates they knew they would not hire.

 

[Russ Smith]

Hopefully this will scare Colvin our way (-:

It's a complete joke no objection to promoting minority hiring but dictating you MUST interview candidates of a certain race(it's just African Americans) is more racist than not doing so is. And again Detroit tried none would interview because they surmised, correctly, that they fired their coach to hire Mariucci so why bother interviewing?

 

[JeffGollin]

I've been a long time supporter the objectives of Affirmative Action, but I think the critics of the Lions are way out of line.

It's one thing to (a) have a vacancy, (2) interview a lot of candidates and (3) bend over backward to at least give qualified minority candidates a chance to be interviewed.

But the Lions' situation was entirely different. Millen saw a golden opportunity when Mariucci got fired in SF. That's the guy he wanted. End of story. Why should he spin wheels in a useless charade?

The sad part of this is that it points out a weakness in overlegislating regulations and policy that plays into the hands of those who oppose regulation of any kind whatsoever. That weakness is the "one size fits all" cookie-cutter approach to social policy.

The cookie-cutter approach is lazy and, for obvious reasons, often unfair . If (the government or the NFL) wants to legislate regulatory policy, more time and effort must be made to make these policies more case-specific in their application.

I guess I'm one of those dinosaurs who still believes that more government can be a good thing (and a necessary thing). But I cringe when the privilege is abused - both by the Left (social engineering) and the Right (civil liberties).

 

[WizardOfAz]

More news on this issue.....

New group to watch NFL hiring practices

Wire services
Mar. 13, 2003 12:00 AM

NFL minority coaches and executives have formed a group designed to ensure Blacks receive equal consideration for all league job openings.

The group was organized at a meeting of 125 people at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis last month.

It will be formalized Friday at a meeting in Washington, D.C., that will honor Bobby Mitchell, the former assistant general manager of the Redskins and the NFL's first Black executive.

"This is a turning point for equal opportunity in the league," said Cyrus Mehri, whose study of the league's minority hiring practices, released last September, spurred a move to add more Blacks to the upper levels of NFL teams.

"For the first time, African-American front-office and coaching personnel are standing shoulder to shoulder to level the playing field."

 

[LittleDavis]

Hmmm...what to say without seeming PI. Well, I have been passed over for a job that I was the most qualified for because they had to hire minorities to fill the three open positions. If we continue to play the race card in the present fashion and deny more qualified applicants, this whole country is going to be in trouble. Sure, there are many qualified AMERICANS that happen to be black and they should get the job over less qualified applicants of other races. I just don't see how it can be beneficial to say you must hire someone because of their skin color. I remember ten years ago they were preaching diversity. Now, they are pushing to have slotted and quota filling hirings. IMO, this is a horrible way to approach business. If Johnny or Jesse were that worried they would dip into their own pockets and help minorities start businesses or buy NFL teams. No, they are out to serve thmselves. I was a fan of affirmative action when it was initially implemented but like everything else that is in flux it needs to change. Not changed by forceful media driven personalities trying to hardball everyone into their proposed system, but by a group that is not biased and lusting media attention. If the NFL becomes a Johnny and Jesse show I will boycott the NFL, and the NFL is one of my first loves...This is sad, really sad.

 

[Ryanwb]

Originally posted by Dback Jon
They should protest Cochrane and Jackson - both money-grubbing self-serving men.

The Lions did nothing wrong - they did not give sham interviews to candidates they knew they would not hire.

Jackson has no shame, adultery, fathering a child out of wedlock. I wish the guys would just quit the crap

 

[WizardOfAz]

Re: More news on this issue.....

Originally posted by WizardOfAz

"This is a turning point for equal opportunity in the league," said Cyrus Mehri, whose study of the league's minority hiring practices, released last September, spurred a move to add more Blacks to the upper levels of NFL teams.

Bio on Cyrus Mehri:

http://www.findjustice.com/ms/attorneys/cyrus.htm

 

[jstadvl]

Get a strong

African American SC judge to call both of these two out. You can only ride the race card so far( Mr. Cochrane) and hasn't the human rights gig carried you far enough( Mr. Jackson).

 

[RLakin]

Originally posted by Dback Jon
They should protest Cochrane and Jackson - both money-grubbing self-serving men.

Totally agree, especially w/ Jackson. I think the difference between Detroit and Jacksonville, Dallas, and San Fran is that Detroit has a very large african american population. That's probably why these two targeted the Lions as opposed to the others.

 

[WizardOfAz]

Originally posted by RLakin
I think the difference between Detroit and Jacksonville, Dallas, and San Fran is that Detroit has a very large african american population. That's probably why these two targeted the Lions as opposed to the others.

Totally disagree.

If that is the rationale, why not target a marque franchise like Dallas or San Francisco. Detroit is, more or less, a bottom feeder in terms of the NFL.

 

[RLakin]

Originally posted by WizardOfAz
Totally disagree.

If that is the rationale, why not target a marque franchise like Dallas or San Francisco. Detroit is, more or less, a bottom feeder in terms of the NFL.

Rationale, in my opinion, is to pick a fight in the market w/ more of your represented race. Therefore, Detroit would the obvious choice over say San Francisco because fewer people (theoretically) in that city would care or relate to the issue.

 

[WizardOfAz]

If that's the case, it dosn't much matter where you take it, because the product is priced in such a way that most poeple that would care - if your arguement were true - can even afford a ticket to the game.

How about this....Not only is SF a much more visbible team, they are also located in a much more liberal city than the Lions. Thus, the general populace would be more inclined to take up the cause, even if they weren't football fans. Plus which, Cochran is based out of Cali.

 

[Houdini]

I agree with Rlakin. Pick a fight in a metropolis that better represents the race you're fighting for. Green Bay is a high profile NFL team, but has a very low black population. It wouldn't make sense to pick a fight there even though it is one of the most recognized teams in the league. Detroit is just the opposite. Detroit has a large black population, so champion your cause there where more black people might get involved and back your cause.

 

[WizardOfAz]

So, hopefully, pandering will help the cause?

 

[Houdini]

Originally posted by WizardOfAz
So, hopefully, pandering will help the cause?

Putting words in my mouth again Wiz?

 

[RLakin]

Originally posted by WizardOfAz
If that's the case, it dosn't much matter where you take it, because the product is priced in such a way that most poeple that would care - if your arguement were true - can even afford a ticket to the game.

How about this....Not only is SF a much more visbible team, they are also located in a much more liberal city than the Lions. Thus, the general populace would be more inclined to take up the cause, even if they weren't football fans. Plus which, Cochran is based out of Cali.

All good points. I would say that I think this issue the good reverend and Mr. Cochran are fighting over is less about football than it is politics, so the argument about tickets I would view as a non factor.
And while I'll take your point about politics being much more liberal in SF, I think Jackson and Co. took much more offense the perceived snubbing of a African American candidate in predominately African American city. All in all, I guess it be more perception than reality, because, as you said, SF is very sympathetic and would seemingly respond better to a such a liberal cause.

 

[WizardOfAz]

Good stuff RLakin - talk to you tomorrow!