Marvin Lewis has the most extensive track record of any Black coach in NFL history. The Bengals’ head coach from 2003–18, he is now a special advisor to Arizona State coach Herm Edwards and also works for Octagon Sports Management’s Division for career development, advancement and transition.
But, yes, he would love to get back in the NFL if the right situation and—more critically—opportunity presented itself. The scarcity of those opportunities was laid bare by Brian Flores’s explosive lawsuit against the NFL, alleging discrimination in hiring practices. Flores’s legal action may have sent tremors through football and nourished the news cycle before the Super Bowl. But among many Black coaches, the reaction was considerably more complicated and nuanced.
There were nods of familiarity, as elements and themes rang familiar and mirrored the coaches’ personal experiences. There were reconsiderations about whether they, like Flores, had also gone on sham interviews with teams already committed to a white candidate. There was anger when the NFL dismissively responded that the suit was “without merit.” There was also—demonstrably—some caution and skepticism about whether Flores was taking the right approach. While Flores filed his suit as a class action, at this writing, no other Black coaches or executives have joined.
