When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, it will be a rare matchup between two Black head coaches, Todd Bowles and Mike Tomlin.
Given all of the discussions surrounding Brian Flores’ lawsuit, the Rooney Rule, and the state of Black head coaches in the NFL, the topic was bound to come up this week. Bowles was asked about what it means to him to coach against Tomlin and he shared some pretty honest thoughts on how he views things.
“I have a very good relationship with Tomlin. We don’t look at what color we are when we coach against each other. We just know each other. I have a lot of very good white friends that coach in this league as well, and I don’t think it’s a big deal as far as us coaching against each other. It’s normal … we coach ball, and we don’t look at color,” Bowles said.
Todd Bowles on coaching against Mike Tomlin this Sunday: "I don't think it's a big deal…we don't look at color."
Bowles on representation in coaching: "I think the minute you guys stop making a big deal about it, everybody else will as well."
*Questions included for context pic.twitter.com/JtehXqqKcW
— David Schiele WTSP (@Deacon_Schiele) October 12, 2022
A reporter followed up on Bowles’ comments by saying that it is notable that the two Black coaches are involved because “representation matters” when other players and coaches see “you guys.” Bowles wasn’t interested in playing along and instead said that perhaps if the media stopped making it a thing, it wouldn’t be a thing.
“When you say ‘see you guys’ and ‘look like them and grow up like them’ means that were oddballs, to begin with. I think the minute you guys stop making a big deal about it, everybody will as well,” Bowles said.
It’s an interesting discussion and Bowles’s perspective carries weight given his status in the NFL. Bowles, Tomlin, Houston’s Lovie Smith, and now Carolina’s Steve Wilks are the only Black head coaches in the league. Mike McDaniel, Ron Rivera, and Robert Saleh make up the other non-white head coaches currently in charge.
[David Schiele, LBS]
