On the eve of Super Bowl XLV, at the beginning of Black History Month, ThePostGame.com spoke with N. Jeremi Duru, a law professor at Temple University and author of “Advancing the Ball: Race, Reformation, and the Quest for Equal Coaching Opportunity in the NFL.” Former NFL defensive back Alan Grant asked Duru about Mike Tomlin, the Rooney Rule, President Obama, and more.
TPG: How important is Mike Tomlin to the progress of African-Americans in professional football?
Duru: He’s huge. In my view, Mike Tomlin represents the success of this movement more than anybody else. Over the years, there were occasionally black coaches who were hired, and they had long resumes and a few gray hairs. It was unthinkable for a young African-American to be given a head job in the NFL. He represents the fruition of the culture change in the NFL. He represents the hope that we are not going to be restricted by what we used to think of as a head coach.
TPG: And what if he had failed?
Duru: Had he failed, there was still enough success over the six years before he got the job – with Marvin Lewis (pictured below) and Lovie Smith — that it wouldn’t have destroyed the movement. But it would have dampened it. It would have suggested we were going too far too fast. If Tomlin had failed, Raheem Morris wouldn’t have gotten his job.
