strange story in the globe this morning about jarmond. this is just the portion that talks about jarmond, the rest is about hiring inequities in the nfl. i never heard of gary washburn before, calls the firing of daz "stunning".
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/17/sports/diversity-helps-open-door-talented-candidates/?p1=Article_Recirc_Most_PopularWhat UCLA did in hiring Martin Jarmond should be the blueprint for the NFL
By Gary Washburn Globe Staff,Updated May 18, 2020, 12:36 a.m.
In this chaotic time where breaking news stories are as prevalent as takeout food orders, two rather interesting stories slipped through the news cycle this week regarding diversity, and lack thereof, in power positions in sports.
Firstly, UCLA is close to hiring Boston College’s Martin Jarmond as its athletic director, the first African-American AD in school history. Secondly, the NFL is floating an idea to offer improved draft picks and added compensatory picks to teams that hire African-Americans and other minorities in coaching positions, a strong indication the Rooney Rule is an abject failure.
UCLA’s hiring of Jarmond is a refreshing move. He’s 39 years old. He’s only been an AD for three years. He is not a UCLA alum. Essentially, the school was seeking a fresh voice, a new vision, a leader who could relate to its students and younger alumni, selecting a rising candidate capable of assuming the position for decades.
The school went outside of the box for a leader, and it’s a critical time for UCLA, whose basketball and football programs have been in decline over the past few years, and have been lapped by Oregon, Washington, and Utah.
Jarmond’s performance and his ability to nab Ohio State defensive assistant Jeff Hafley after the stunning dismissal of Steve Addazio obviously impressed Bruins officials. And Jarmond also made the difficult decision to retain Eagles basketball coach Jim Christian after he appeared done following another disappointing season.
Hopefully, the hiring of Jarmond will motivate other schools to take a fresh approach to hiring athletic directors. It’s rather ridiculous that Jarmond is UCLA’s first African-American AD considering the wealth of Black athletes who have passed through UCLA from Jackie Robinson to Arthur Ashe to Rafer Johnson to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Ed O’Bannon.
But we’re here. Jarmond in 2020 is a trail blazer. Honestly, it required UCLA officials to conduct a thorough search outside their normal lens, and such a hire is admirable. But let’s be really honest here. Jarmond will carry the burden of representing the next group of aspiring minority athletic directors with how he conducts himself.
Success at UCLA is essentially deep NCAA tournament runs in basketball and a Pac-12 championship and College Football Playoff berth in football. If the Bruins thrive, other Power 5 schools will seek out ADs who look like Jarmond, those who are youthful, with fresh ideas.
And if Jarmond falters? Well, let’s not expect UCLA’s next athletic director to be Black. It’s almost too much for one man to withstand, but Jarmond fully understands the expectations.
Black coaches, athletic directors, and front office officials don’t receive the same second chances as their white counterparts. And while there are dozens of former minority NCAA athletes and academicians who would like the same opportunity as Jarmond, and are ready for such a duty, their opportunity to become an AD at a Power 5 school will likely be based on Jarmond’s success. That’s the reality of this game.