Considering the number of Black players, it is a shame there are so few (four) Black head football coaches among the 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. Suing the NCAA or individual schools will not fix the problem.

The Black Coaches and Administrators Association is beginning a dialogue and exploring legal options that could lead to a case against universities for civil rights violations if such violations are the reason a Black coach is not hired when openings come up… What!!! Civil rights violations??? Some of the discussion is centered on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which in part prevents discrimination in federally assisted programs. Colleges and universities that receive federal funding for any number of school programs, projects or initiatives could technically be considered a federally “assisted” program. This type of legal action would no doubt bring national attention to the issue of hiring Black head coaches in college football; however, it is extremely difficult in a court of law to prove intent to discriminate.

Of course there should be more Black head coaches in college football but you cannot legislate morality; the government cannot fix everything, and the real problem lies with who we’re dealing with. Did I mention the 119 FBS schools are majority white schools?

The problem will only be fixed when these schools have more Black Presidents, more Black Trustees and Board of Regents members, More Black Athletic Directors, more Black students who are not athletes, and more Black Journalists in commercial media at the editorial level. These people, especially the presidents, athletic directors and board members would have the institutional juice to hire more Black coaches. You can’t expect people to do the right thing just because it’s the right thing to do. They either care or they don’t. Obviously in college football they don’t and it will be a legal nightmare and I suspect legally impossible for the courts to force schools to care enough about “right” to hire black head coaches.

Just to throw this out there because fair is fair… Would you want a court of law to determine Florida A&M, Howard, Clark Atlanta, Grambling, Tuskegee and all HBCU’s must hire or have a certain number of White head football coaches? Careful what you ask for.

With the college football bowl season upon us, black players in the big games will be responsible for the billions of dollars in revenue these games generate as they have done all season long. The players won’t get a dime while the school and top conferences make millions, the major bowls make millions in media rights, ticket sales and merchandise, and the media outlets covering the games make millions in advertising. Young Black men make millions for others because of their athletic ability. Some of these young men might even get a college degree out of this lopsided deal. Now here’s an issue civil rights organizations and anybody else who cares about fairness needs to address.

Sat It Loud!