- Jennifer King will become the first African American woman to coach full-time in the history of the NFL.
- King won three titles as a quarterback, wide receiver, and safety during her time with the Carolina Phoenix and New York Sharks in the Women’s Football Alliance.
- Although women have coached in the NFL before, King becomes only the fourth full-time female assistant in the league’s history.
Typically, news that Washington Redskins head coach Ron Rivera had hired a new assistant would only garner interest from the hardcore football bloggers.
Not this time.
The coach in question is Jennifer King, the first full-time black female coach to work in the NFL.
NFL ‘Fans’ Embarrass Themselves With Misogynist Tweets
Jennifer King will become only the fourth full-time female coach in the NFL, joining Buccaneers assistants Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar, along with Katie Sowers of the 49ers.
Tampa Bay’s announcement that they had added both Javadifar and Locust to the coaching staff attracted the type of backlash you’d expect from an “NFL Twitter” that’s predominantly composed of emotionally-fragile men.
King’s hiring attracted similar embarrassing commentary:
The critics justify their misogyny by questioning her qualifications to coach a professional football team. One popular argument claims she doesn’t deserve to coach in the NFL because she “never played football.”
Well, she has played football.
King won three titles as a quarterback, wide receiver, and safety with the Carolina Phoenix and the New York Sharks in the Women’s Football Alliance.
And she’s worked on an NFL coaching staff too.
She interned under Ron Rivera during his stint with the Carolina Panthers, so he’s not hiring her blind. He knows what she’s going to bring to his coaching staff.
Redskins Bros Aren’t Upset About King’s ‘Experience’
It’s hilariously ironic to see this whining from a Washington Redskins fanbase that last watched their team win a Super Bowl when Wayne’s World was in theaters and most computers were still running Windows 3.
Let’s be honest here, guys. You can gripe about Jennifer King’s experience and how qualified she is. But we all know that’s not the problem. We’ve seen plenty of rookie coaches with similar backgrounds hired by NFL organizations, with one exception: They were men.
Your problem is that Jennifer King is a woman. And for some of you, that she’s not just female but also black.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, fellas, but you’re part of a dying demographic. The days of football being the domain of white males are all but over. Females account for almost half of the audience these days.
There are more women interested in coaching and playing at the grassroots level than ever before, and that’s a good thing!
The Irony Must Be Lost on Redskins Fans
And save me the faux outrage. We’re talking about the Washington Redskins here. A team that went 3-13 last season.
When was the last time this team done anything in the playoffs?
Before you complain about hiring female coaches, at least admit that your male coaches aren’t cutting it either.
Maybe bringing in someone like Jennifer King is exactly what this franchise needs? God knows what they’re doing at the moment isn’t working.
My advice to the triggered dudes out there? Calm down, boys. It’s just a game.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.
This article was edited by Josiah Wilmoth.
