Political Quotes

“the NFL did not have a single black head coach in the modern era until the Oakland Raiders, your district, hired Art Shell way back in 1989. The reason for this was not simply because the NFL was considered a racist league, but it was that teams tended to hire people they knew, team owners hired the individuals who they were familiar with. And they looked for candidates that offered a comfort level and an image of what sports success had always looked like in the National Football League. Unfortunately, that image was always white, that is, until now, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, regardless of who wins this Sunday, although I proclaim victory, the owners and fans will hopefully realize that success is not always white and male. Hopefully, after Super Bowl XLI is concluded, NFL teams will truly seek to find the best and most qualified candidate to lead their teams, whether they look like Bill Parcells or Dennis Green. Hopefully, other African American assistant coaches and candidates for coaching positions who have never been given an opportunity to coach a team will finally have a chance to make a name for themselves rather than NFL teams continually recycling the same old faces regardless if they have ever been successful or not.”