In an effort to promote diversity within one of the NFL’s highest offices, the Fritz Pollard Alliance is reportedly promoting eight minority candidates for general manager positions around the league for the upcoming 2016 NFL season.
Spearheading the effort is chairman John Wooten, a man of color and former NFL offensive guard who won a championship in 1964 playing with the Cleveland Browns.
Wooten is “championing eight front office execs formally for NFL openings,” per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
Here is the list of eight:
- Martin Mayhew (recently fired GM of Detroit Lions)
- Sheldon White (Mayhew’s replacement as interim GM of Lions)
- Omar Khan (director of football administration for Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Jimmy Raye III (VP of football operations for Indianapolis Colts)
- Morocco Brown (VP of player personnel for Cleveland Browns)
- Marc Ross (VP of player evaluation)
- Chris Grier (director, college scouting for Miami Dolphins)
- Will McClay (assistant director of player personnel for Dallas Cowboys
All eight men are tenured NFL executives who are well-respected for their past work, and McClay even brings a bit of pro coaching experience to the table.
This will be a story to track throughout the winter following the exodus of front offices and coaching staffs around the league at the end of the regular season.
Finding a mix of front office personnel that “comes close to resembling the breakdown of its rosters” has been hard to accomplish thus far, La Canfora writes.
This is why Wooten and the Fritz Pollard Alliance has such an important job to do, and why he works tirelessly to realize the vision.