NFL Agent Says NFL Doesn't Care About Race and Diversity: 'It's All Bulls--t'

One NFL agent didn't hold back their thoughts about the league's efforts to spotlight race and diversity. 

Speaking to The Athletic's Ben Standig, the anonymous agent said "nothing" has changed in the NFL after last year's increased discussion on addressing systemic racism and adding more diversity throughout the league. 

"It’s all bulls--t," the agent added. "The NFL does not care. They just want everyone to believe they care. Same with player health. The same people are hiring the same people who will hire the same people."

A large portion of the NFL's marketing during the 2020 season was focused on promoting diversity and social justice. This included stencilling the phrases "End Racism" and "It Takes All of Us" in the end zone at every stadium across the league. 

The campaign came about in the wake of players demanding the league take an active approach to social justice in a video released in the wake of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor being killed by police officers last year and the Black Lives Matter movement that followed. 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell responded to the players' call with a video of his own. 

"We the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black people," Goodell said. "We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest."

However, the league was criticized during the offseason for a lack of diversity among coaching hires. 

Robert Saleh (New York Jets) and David Culley (Houston Texans) were the only non-white candidates hired as head coaches. 

Things were slightly better for new general managers, with three Black candidates being hired for the seven vacancies (Martin Mayhew by the Washington Football Team, Brad Holmes by the Detroit Lions and Terry Fontenot by the Atlanta Falcons). 

Of the 28 combined offensive and defensive coordinator openings, nine were filled by non-white candidates this offseason. 

There are still only five non-white head coaches in the NFL among the 32 teams. The league adopted the Rooney Rule in 2003, which requires every club to interview at least one person of color for head coach and senior football operations jobs. 

The rule has been expanded multiple times, including last year to stipulate that at least two people of color must be interviewed for a head-coaching vacancy and one for any open coordinator position. 

Teams that lose a person of color from an assistant coaching position to another club as their new head coach, or a personnel executive who becomes a general manager, will receive third-round compensatory picks in each of the next two drafts. 

If a team has two minority coaches hired as head coaches or general managers, that club will receive three third-round comp picks.