The NFL says teams must hire a minority or female offensive coach

By Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN

Updated 1623 GMT (0023 HKT) March 29, 2022

Jennifer King, Washington Football team's running backs coach, is the first Black female to be a lead position coach in the NFL.

(CNN)The NFL is requiring all of its teams to hire a minority or female offensive assistant coach for the 2022 season at a time when criticism is high over the diversity of its top ranks.

The league also says its Rooney Rule, requiring every team to interview at least two external minority candidates for open head coaching positions, will expand to provide more opportunities for women to secure front office roles.The moves come as the NFL owners hold their annual league meeting in Palm Beach, Florida. The league also formed a six-person diversity advisory committee to review its hiring policies and practices with a «focus on senior-level coach and front office personnel positions,» the league announced Monday.The committee and changes were instituted «to provide better outcomes in the hiring cycle.»Read MoreLast month, Brian Flores, the former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, filed a lawsuit against the NFL and three of its teams for racial discrimination. The NFL and the three teams have denied the allegations.Callie Brownson of the Cleveland Browns is the first female position coach in an NFL gameThe offensive assistant coaches will be on one-year contracts and be paid from a league-wide fund. They will work closely with the head coach and the offensive staff to gain experience. Historically, the NFL says «head coaches have predominantly had offensive backgrounds» and the organization hopes the changes will help source talented candidates earlier in their careers and provide room for «developing the diverse offensive