Stephen A. Smith has argued for more Black head coaches and executives during his time on First Take; he simply doesn’t want it to happen in Houston.
Head Coaches
After just one season in the post, the Houston Texans dismissed head coach Lovie Smith on Sunday night. It was the second year in a row that the Texans hired a Black head coach before letting them go after one season; David Culley was the coach before Smith. Stephen A. Smith advised aspiring Black head coaches to avoid Houston due to the city’s track record.
Smith said on First Take on Monday morning, “The Houston Texans organization, I’m going to say something loud and clear over the national airways and I don’t give a damn what anybody thinks.” Black Americans are not required to apply. This organization has not treated African Americans fairly.
Houston’s handling of Smith, Culley, and Romeo Crennel was mentioned by the host of First Take. From 2014 to 2021, Crennel was a member of Houston’s coaching staff. After Bill O’Brien was let go in 2020, Crennel took over as interim head coach. Crennel was the first Black head coach of the Texans in the team’s history and the oldest head coach in NFL history at the age of 73.
The Texans were allegedly interested in recruiting former quarterback Josh McCown as their head coach before choosing Lovie Smith last year. But after Brian Flores filed a lawsuit accusing the NFL of racial discrimination, the Texans eventually opted against appointing a white head coach without any relevant expertise.
“Before the local and national media raised holy hell, that’s who the Houston Texans intended to hire as their head coach!” Smith said.
“The Houston Texans organization is a disgrace.” “And as a fallback, you turned to the Black man, who you plainly had no aspirations of keeping! They make a mess of things. And in my opinion, there are 31 clubs you should aim for if you’re African American and want to be a head coach in the National Football League. Beyond all hope, you should never receive a call from the Houston Texans,” he added.
Foremost Critics
Smith has been one of the foremost critics of the NFL’s ruthless exhibition of head coaching diversity in recent years. Only three of the NFL’s 32 head coaches were Black to begin the 2022 season, a startling figure given that Black people make up 70% of the league’s players.
Smith was even praised by Fox News host Sean Hannity for bringing attention to the dearth of minority head coaches in professional sports last year, during a genuine exchange of ideas.
However, Smith is not simply advocating for the hiring of more Black head coaches; he is also advocating for the hiring of Black head coaches in positions where they have the best chance of succeeding.
Furthermore, Houston’s willingness to temporarily replace their White head coach with a Black coach has no positive impact on the league’s lack of diversity.
Other Reports, Minority Hires
Smith has appeared on Hannity’s radio show and Fox News program separately during the past two weeks, and Hannity also recorded an episode of Smith’s freshly released podcast Know Mercy.
Accordingly, Mike Greenberg held his own radio show for two weeks at any point throughout the summer, but Smith and Hannity have switched off appearances on their shows more often during the past two weeks.
The media figures concurred that they don’t generally agree during Smith’s recent visit on Hannity’s radio show.
But after circling around the subject of Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 choice to take a knee in support of victims of police brutality, Hannity chose to commend Smith for a viewpoint shared by the host of First Take.
