The NFL announced on Monday morning that the league will investigate allegations made from former player and coach Eugene Chung that he was told during an interview for a coaching position that he was “not the right minority.”
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy released a statement that said the alleged comment was “completely inappropriate and contrary to league values and work place policies.
“The NFL and it’s clubs are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all personnel in a manner that is consistent with our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
The decision for the NFL to look into the matter comes after the Fritz Pollard Alliance, an independent group that promotes diversity in the NFL, called for an investigation.
“If the comments regarding his status as a Korean American are true, it’s further evidence the NFL’s actual hiring practices are riddled with discrimination,” the Alliance said in a statement.
Chung, 51, made the allegations in a webinar hosted by the Boston Globe but he did not disclose which team he had interviewed with that said them.
“I was like, ‘Wait a minute. The last time I checked, when I looked in the mirror and brushed my teeth, I was a minority,” Chung said.
Chung was previously an assistant coach for the Eagles in 2019 but has not held a coaching job since then. He has also served as an assistant for the Kansas City Chiefs and had a five-year career that spanned with the Patriots, Jaguars and Colts.
While the league will investigate the manner, Chung said in the webinar that he did not blame the NFL for the incident.
“I’m not sitting here bashing the league at all,” he said. “Because there are great mentors and there are great coaches that embrace the difference. It’s just when the Asians don’t fit the narrative, that’s where my stomach churns a little bit.”
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