Colts’ hiring on Saturday blames diversity and equity – Indianapolis Business Journal

Jeff Saturday

Even Jeff was shocked Saturday when Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay called him for a head coaching job Sunday night.

A former two-time All-Star center who passed the ball to Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning in 12 seasons, Saturday certainly knew his X and O.

But the TV analyst’s only coaching experience was a three-year tenure at Hebron Christian Academy in Georgia, where he led the team to a 20-16 record and three playoff appearances.

Ilse’s decision shocked people within and across the league, even though his fondness for Saturday was well known throughout the organization. Played 13 seasons for the Colts Saturday, made six Pro Bowls, helped them win the Super Bowl, and was a member of the team’s Ring of Honor.

Critics immediately accused Ilse of hiring an inexperienced ex-player instead of promoting someone from the coaching staff, which is common in season dismissals. Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley previously served as Jacksonville’s head coach from 2013-16. Senior defensive assistant John Fox spent 16 seasons as head coach in Carolina, Denver and Chicago and led the Panthers and Broncos to the Super Bowl.

Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III tweeted that Ilse’s decision was “a slap in the face that gives every coach a headache.”

Saturday’s hiring also wasn’t for the Fritz Pollard League, which fights for fairness and inclusion in professional football. The NFL has seven minority head coaches, including Carolina Panthers interim coach Steve Wilkes.

“The Looney Rule is the only universal recruiting policy used by the NFL to promote equity and diversity,” the league said in a statement. “However, news from Indianapolis (Monday) revealed a gap in the league’s stated goals. If the spirit of the rule is to expand opportunity, we believe it must be applied consistently, even when recruiting for temporary positions.”

Ilse and the Colts don’t have to follow the Rooney rule requiring interviewing minority candidates because Saturday replaced Frank Reich for the season. Teams must meet these requirements when seeking permanent employment after the season.

“We’re following the Rooney rule to get to the ‘T’. I’m really looking forward to the interview process at the end of the season,” Ilsay said.

This isn’t the first time Ilsai has followed Saturday, he’s a paid consultant to the team and an analyst at ESPN.

“Understood now, we’ve tried several times to hire Jeff,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said. “We tried to hire him as an offensive line coach in 2019, and we tried to hire him again this year — and it didn’t work out. The timing wasn’t there. I spent a lot of time with Jeff — like I did with some of the former players here. Together, it quickly became apparent that he had real leadership in him and was really special in that regard. For these eight games and where we were, we thought he would be a great fit for us.”

The Colts (3-5-1) have nowhere to go, with Matt Ryan backing inexperienced and overwhelmed quarterback Sam Ehlinger showing that the team has prioritized the draft position. Each of Reich’s five seasons in Indianapolis started with a different quarterback, so securing a top draft pick for a potential franchise QB would be a smart strategy.

That puts Saturday in a position where he can’t lose.

If he can somehow lead the Colts to victory or even a 4-4 record over the past eight games, that would be quite an achievement considering the state of the team.

If the Colts lose enough games to end up with one of the top QBs in the draft, Saturday will help prepare the team for potential future success.

Irsay made a bold, out-of-the-box move that opened him to scrutiny and criticism. Clearly, he doesn’t care about public opinion.

Source link