According to The Washington Post, heading into the 2021 season, Black players comprise 57.5 percent of the league. White players account for 24.9 percent of the league.
That leaves 17.6 percent of the league which identifies as other races, including Hispanics, Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans.
This brings us to accusations made by former NFL offensive lineman Eugene Chung, who is of Korean descent, this week. While speaking on a webinar hosted by The Boston Globe, Chung revealed that he had been told during an interview for a coaching position that he wasn't "really a minority," by whomever was interviewing him for the job.
Chung wouldn't say which team or who made the comment, but the NFL is going to investigate following a complaint regarding the issue from the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which champions diversity in coaching.
Chung played five seasons in the NFL. He was the first person of Korean descent to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in league history. At the time he was selected, he was the third player of Asian descent in the league. Period.
He is the definition of a minority when it comes to the NFL.
Chung also has served an assistant coach with both the Eagles and Chiefs since 2010.
Perhaps we've gone too far over the line when it comes to identity politics when a player of Asian descent isn't the "right minority" for a job.
Sure, minority hiring in the NFL has been and remains an issue. More minority assistants, head coaches and front office workers need to be added to the equation when 75 percent of the league is comprised of non-whites.
But do they all have to look a certain way?
It's the same argument that some tried to make in the offseason when some said David Culley, a former Steelers assistant, was the only minority hired, overlooking the fact the Jets hired Robert Saleh, who is of Lebanese descent.
Yes, the fact that just two of the seven openings this year went to minorities is an issue. But is Saleh, formerly the defensive coordinator of the 49ers, any less of a minority in the league than Washington head coach Ron Rivera, who is of Hispanic descent?
More minorities are needed in the game to be sure. But when one minority is considered more or less qualified than another, the league needs to do a better job of educating its teams.
In this case, it needs to explore Chung's story and let teams know this isn't the way to do business. If that includes fines and/or the loss of draft picks, so be it.
YOUR TURN: Should the NFL come down hard on the team involved in the Chung interview -- if it finds proof?
