NFL announces candidates selected to participate in diversity networking event
Back in early April, the NFL announced plans to hold a seminar for a handful of prospective head coach and general manager candidates to help address the league's glaring problem in hiring minority candidates for those top positions.
The seminar is set to take place later this month at the annual spring owner's meeting later this month in Atlanta, and teams were asked to submit two candidates - one from the coaching side and one from the player personnel side - to attend the opportunity.
Beyond the networking aspect, part of the goal for the 64 in attendance will be to go through sessions and programs designed to help them further their education on the business side of football.
The main goal of the program is to get these minority candidates some face time with NFL decision makers at the highest level to develop connections.
Today, the NFL announced the names of those minority candidates that will be in attendance.
Most NFL teams nominated two candidates, but there were a few organizations who opted (for whatever reason) to not nominate someone on the coaching or GM side.
The candidates that will take part in the event are:
| TEAM | GM CANDIDATE | HC CANDIDATE |
|---|---|---|
ARIZONA CARDINALS | Quentin Harris (VP Player Personnel) | Vance Joseph (DC) |
ATLANTA FALCONS | Anthony Robinson (Director of College Scouting) | Charles London (QBs) |
BALTIMORE RAVENS | N/A | Chris Horton (STC) |
BUFFALO BILLS | Terrance Gray (Assistant DPP) | Eric Washington (DL) |
CAROLINA PANTHERS | Samir Suleiman (VP Football Admin) | Jeff Nixon (AHC Offense) |
CHICAGO BEARS | Ian Cunningham (Assistant GM) | Alan Williams (DC) |
CINCINNATI BENGALS | Trey Brown (Scout) | Troy Walters (WRs) |
CLEVELAND BROWNS | Glen Cook (VP Player Personnel) | Joe Woods (DC) |
DALLAS COWBOYS | Chris Vaughn (Assistant Director of College Scouting | Joe Whitt Jr (Defensive PGC / Secondary) |
DENVER BRONCOS | Kelly Kleine (Executive Director of Football Operations) | Ejiro Evero (DC) |
DETROIT LIONS | Ray Agnew (Assistant GM) | Aaron Glenn (DC) |
GREEN BAY PACKERS | Richmond Williams (Director of Pro Personnel) | Jerry Gray (DBs / PGC) |
HOUSTON TEXANS | Mozique McCurtis (National Scout) | Pep Hamilton (OC) |
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | Morocco Brown (Director of College Scouting) | Marcus Brady (OC) |
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | Regis Eller (Director of Pro Scouting) | Mike Caldwell (DC) |
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | Tim Terry (Senior Director of Pro Scouting) | Eric Bieniemy (OC) |
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | Dwayne Joseph (Director of Pro Personnel) | N/A |
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | Joe Wooden (Director of Player Personnel) | Renaldo Hill (DC) |
LOS ANGELES RAMS | Ray Farmer (Senior Personnel Executive) | Thomas Brown (Assistant HC / TEs) |
MIAMI DOLPHINS | Marvin Allen (Assistant GM) | Jon Embree (AHC / TEs) |
MINNESOTA VIKINGS | Chris Blanco (Assistant Director of Pro Scouting) | |
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | Steve Cargile (Pro Scouting Director) | DeMarcus Covington (DL) |
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | Khai Harley (VP of Football Administration) | Kris Richard (Co-DC / Secondary) |
NEW YORK GIANTS | Brandon Brown (Assistant GM) | Thomas McGaughey (STC) |
NEW YORK JETS | Chad Alexander (Director of Player Personnel) | Ron Middleton (TEs) |
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES | Jeff Scott (Director of Football Operations) | Brian Johnson (QBs) |
PITTSBURGH STEELERS | N/A | Frisman Jackson (WRs) |
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | Ran Carthon (Director of Player Personnel) | N/A |
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | Alonzo Highsmith (Senior Executive Advisor to the GM) | Kerry Joseph (Assistant QBs) |
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS | Jacqueline Davidson (Director of Football Research) | Byron Leftwich (OC) |
TENNESSEE TITANS | Brian Gardner (Director of Pro Scouting) | Tony Dews (RBs) |
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS | Eric Stokes (Senior Director of Player Personnel) | Randy Jordan (RBs) |
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
