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‘I always say exposure leads to expansion’: Vikings grateful for program designed to help minorities

dane mizutani, pioneer press
·4 min read
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Vikings special-teams coordinator Matt Daniels compared it to speed dating.

He had roughly 30 minutes at each station to give an elevator pitch for himself, and while there wasn’t a job waiting for him at the end of the conversation, it provided good insight into what the interview process is like.

That could go a long way down the road as Daniels hopes to become a head coach in the NFL at some point in his career.

“It’s important that you’re being your authentic self,” Daniels said while admitting he had some butterflies. “Don’t try to go up there and be someone you’re not. Or feel like you’ve got to communicate a certain way to these individuals. Just to be your authentic self and everything else will take care of itself.”

This exercise was conducted as a part of the NFL Coach Accelerator, which was hosted this week at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel in Eagan, and is designed to promote greater diversity leaguewide when it comes to hiring practices. Similarly, there has been an NFL Front Office Accelerator put on in the past.

Both programs started last year and aim to increase exposure for minority candidates by giving them an opportunity to interact with owners and executives throughout the NFL.

As for this particular event, there were 40 participants at the NFL Coach Accelerator this week, including Daniels and Vikings receivers coach Keenan McCardell. The most notable name attending was former Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier, who most recently served as defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, and decided to step away from the NFL for a year.

“I think there were a lot of eye-opening things for the owners,” McCardell said. “They really saw 40 of the top minority candidates that were really smart, really engaging and really authentic.”

As much as the Rooney Rule has tried to increase diversity on a grand scale, it’s telling that Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans currently are the only Black head coaches in the NFL.

That’s why things like the NFL Coach Accelerator are important.

“I think it’s great,” Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores said. “I always say exposure leads to expansion.”

That’s a powerful statement from Flores that resonated with both Daniels and McCardell.

Asked what these types of programs say about the NFL as a whole, Daniels replied, “That the league wants to do better.” He mentioned how Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon got hired this offseason, a year after participating in the NFL Front Office Accelerator.

“Maybe he doesn’t get that opportunity if the NFL doesn’t start this program,” Daniels said. “They are continuing to build out programs to bring more light to minorities, because, let’s face it, this league, it hasn’t been like that in the past.”

There’s also a networking aspect to these types of programs.

“You’re looking at 40 of the top minority candidates all in the same room,” Daniels said. “Maybe half of them you might know. Maybe half of them you are itching to get to know because you never know what position they could end up in. That connection could be huge because at the end of the day this is a relationship business and guys are going to hire who they trust.”

On a macro level, the impact of the NFL Coach Accelerator likely won’t be seen for a while, as owners and executives will need to practice what the program preaches. On a micro level, it does provide a glimpse into what the future could look like, with the possibility for change coming.

“You can’t put it into words,” Daniels said. “Its a great opportunity for a lot of people across this league to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Still, even if there are more opportunities for minorities now compared to, say, a couple of decades ago, it’s still not where it needs to be. There’s still work to be done. The marathon continues.

“You’ve got to be able to sometimes sacrifice for the next generation,” McCardell said. “It’s always about giving back, and it’s a process.”

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