Doug Williams, the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl more than three decades ago, shares his thoughts on two starting Black quarterbacks in Super Bowl LVII, and says to CBS News that it is time to open the door for more Black coaches.
“I know there’s a lot of young guys across the country, realize that if it’s a dream, it could happen,” Williams, 67, told CBS News this week. “Because it happened for these guys.”
According to Williams, who serves as the Washington Commanders’ senior advisor to team president Jason Wright, the impact of having two top Black quarterbacks in the big game on Sunday has already taken effect with Mahomes and Hurts – this season’s AP NFL MVP and the runner-up, respectively. However, Williams believes teams around the league need to work on hiring more Black coaches.
Ahead of the #SuperBowl, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says there’s still “more work ahead” when it comes to increasing diversity in the league.
“We’re pleased to see progress, but it’s never enough,” he says. pic.twitter.com/18a0vqtEeG
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 8, 2023
“It’s time to open the doors for more Black coaches,” he said to CBS. “[I] want owners to open up their heart and their mind” to deserving coaches to lead teams in the NFL. “There’s an awful lot of guys out there of color, Black guys out there that deserve the opportunity to be a coach.”
Williams also spoke on the legacy of Black quarterbacks in the NFL–who at one time were not considered intelligent enough to lead an NFL team on the field.
“I think every Black quarterback knows that this role wasn’t always easy for us,” he told CBS News. “It’s a lot of easy for the guys playing in this week than it was the guys behind. Because when I think of those two guys [Mahomes and Hurts], I cannot help myself to think of James Harris, Joe Gilliam, Warren Moon and Marlin Briscoe. All the guys back then who did not get the same opportunity to equal opportunity as these two guys got. You gotta think about those guys who had the talent but just wasn’t let in the door.”
Read Williams’ interview with CBS News in its entirety here.
Also, many will be tuning into tonight’s game to watch Rihanna’s half-time performance. While Rihanna debuted two new songs in last year (both for the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), the nine-time Grammy winner hasn’t dropped a new album since Anti in 2016.
In 2019, the singer reportedly declined to perform in the halftime show out of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. The halftime show marks RiRi’s first performance in years, further fueling fan speculation that new music is on the horizon.