Chargers coach Anthony Lynn of Systemic Racism in the NFL, and why one of only three Black Head Coaches

When Anthony Lynn, head coach of the Chargers in Los Angeles, in third grade was changed her world. It ‘grew up in Celina, Texas son of a single mother and one of the few blacks children in what was then a small town north of Dallas. A Girl Lynn thought it was beautiful, handing out invitations to his birthday party was a day when he saw Lynn jumped, and a black girl in the class. As Lynn asked why the answer was that devastated. It’s because you’re black and my parents will not let you come to me. “After that time, ever, I saw things being equal” Lynn, now 51, told TIME in a video call from her office in Costa Mesa, Calif., Where the charger keep their headquarters and training camp. “This is when I was in the world knew differently. There must be a difference in black and white. Then, I began to see the color.” Lynn says that these and other experiences of racism all his life, helped motivate to achieve leaders of the NFL, where it will be only three black coaches today. “He does not like the fact that people do not think that I was the same, or thought they were better than me,” says Lynn. “I can not say race was not a big part of why I am where I am. Because he pushed me.” Well, the reality is that Lynn has tackled head-on in his life at the top of his job as head coach. He sees Systemic Racism in the NFL, a league in which men blacks 60% of the players are, but less than 10% of head coach. He sees it in the streets, with the killing of George Floyd and shooting of Jacob Blake. “I was like, wow, again?” Says Lynn video police watching Blake in Kenosha throw, Wis. “It ‘s always unarmed men blacks. And seven times? That just made me sad, man. I have emotional” On August 26, the Milwaukee Bucks, the judge denied a take playoff game against the Orlando Magic. also effectively stop other teams staged strikes in sports games. The charger must maintain a scrimmage in their new home, the $5000000000 SoFi Stadium, the next day. Lynn has called a team meeting, and let the players express their frustrations. “After that, no way we could take the field and practice,” says Lynn. “There was something more important than football at that time.” The fight was canceled. Read more: Why Jacob Blake Shooting unleashed unprecedented charger Sport Lynn boycott is an NFL season like no other start this weekend. In the midst of a pandemic and national accounts on race, L.A. Cincinnati Bengals on traveling and the No. 1 pick in the draft in 2020 to take quarterback Joe Burrow, Sunday. While Lynn would say one player strike in week 1 support, not promote it. “If I did not think about it, a game a week to make a big change, I’d give this guy the whole week off,” says Lynn. “I would not give up. But we’re football players, are not politicians.” However, do not expect quiet. to maintain in the past, he says Lynn tried to talk about controversial social issues such kneels Colin Kaepernick during the national anthem of the dressing room to make it a feared was “distraction.” “We can read about this st to February, the end of February will hopefully speak,” says Lynn to explain his philosophy above. Not so this year. “If I suppress, I think it would hurt for their passion, and I do not think playing the game they love well,” he says. Los Angeles has made the playoffs in 2018, his second season as coach charger, the Lynn team finished 5-11 last year. He is under pressure to change course, as the Chargers for a new house to move. Team fee SoFi Lynn Stadium with the Los Angeles Rams, while desperately fighting for the fans in Los Angeles market, mostly greeted with indifference move since even in 2017 from San Diego, not Lynn says his focus only victory on the field, “We have to win the championship busy,” he says, “and the struggle for social justice.” A group of games are diagrammed Lynn behind the desk on a white board; He is wearing a cap and charger jacket during our interviews and some peppery gray stubble on his chin. Lynn is no rule scheduled football coach. He speaks in a true conversational manner that is all too rare in its ranks. As a child he played quarterback in youth teams in Celina football-mad. In seventh grade, however, a knowledgeable coach Lynn runs would move again. “He goes, blacks children can not play quarterback ‘,” says Lynn. Lynn asked why. “Well, I’m not smart enough,” he replied the engineer. These collected experiences of racism “made me aggressive,” says Lynn; He got into fights at school, but is channeled his anger on the football field, after a scholarship to Texas Tech University and deserves to play in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos; He won a pair of Super Bowl rings with Denver in 1997 and 1998. The tensions during the years of Lynn at Texas Tech has overflowed. Lynn says police in an apartment building where two players were staying were collected; when he went to see what was happening, the police “I jacked into a wall.” They asked if it was a drug dealer. “And I just lost it, man,” says Lynn. “The next thing I know I’m a cop fight and I beat him and I get in the back of the head with a stick and tied on the floor to me, take me to jail and an officer kicked me in my head.” Thanks to football connections Lynn, the police finally released him. “Today I would have been fired,” says Lynn. “I mean, think about it. I said, ‘I would have been shot.’ I was completely wrong to go out on that cop. But it was only years of accumulation of this and that. I can not go to the birthday party. I can not play quarterback. “Lynn pointed out that has great respect for the police officers. In 2005, after being hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street at the intersection of Ventura, Calif., Police Halfen save his life. The near-fatal accident left Lynn to temporary paralysis and injuries that required four operations. He remained a friend of one of the officers who rescued him. However, they get tired of the continuous racist bites. Just last year he stopped what he calls a “pretext.” Before a White officer asked him for his license and registration, says Lynn, she asked if he had been in prison or on probation. “I fear for some people who may not be as strong-minded when they hear something like that, too often, they start to believe it,” says Lynn. “The fact that they are no better. They’re not the same thing. That is my biggest fear. But for me, it pisses me off easy. He always” athletes more. Of America are finally to real demand change of position. And they know it. Lynn is also annoyed by the fact that only three of the 32-coach Lynn, Brian Flores from black NFL Miami Dolphins Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh. “I’m not satisfied with that number,” says Lynn. Only in 2017 there were seven black head coach in the league. (Washington football team coach Ron Rivera, who is Latin, the only other NFL head coach minority). The Rooney Rule, which were made in 2003 to ensure that coaching positions at least one minority candidate will be interviewed for the head open looks broken. This is the product of systemic racism? Lynn agrees that a proper assessment. “I played in this league for eight years, and a reader knows a coach when he sees it,” says Lynn. “There were African-American coach, may have the head coach, but now he never had the opportunity.” How do you solve the problem? Lynn believes that the reform of the head coach helping fuel system. Between 2009 and 2019, according to a recent study by Arizona State University offensive coordinator the previous most common position of head coach was: 40% of NFL Head Coach from offensive coordinator points (NFL September defensive coordinator had, and head coach NFL, were the next most common locations). At the same time, however, 91% of employees were white offensive coordinator. “I saw so many callers game direct jobs that no personality have no leadership at all,” says Lynn to maintain during his 17 years as an assistant coach in the NFL one never entered the season in a coordinator position (a few weeks in the season 2016 was named offensive coordinator in Buffalo, took over this year for a game as interim coach after Rex Ryan was fired). His coaching career earlier saw it as mainly one backs coach and assistant coach running. in a pool of several candidates and broaden the existing system talent. “And then you wonder why every year in the National Football League are marked by six to eight head coach burning?” Says Lynn. “If we open this thing to the position coach, assistant coach, then you will have more African-American candidate.” He also believes Blacks coach faster than their white counterparts to win to guarantee in order to keep their jobs. “I’m not happy with the leash to get the African-American coach,” says Lynn. “I had my first season losing last year. And come the next day at home, and my wife is like, Honey, are you okay ‘and I’m like,’ Why should I not be? I’m fine ‘. And she’s like,’ Well, you do not know half the country wants you fired ‘When he entered coaching, Lynn to understand the obstacles?. the memories are, he said, he could not attend a birthday party because he is black, or if it was one drug dealer are never too far from his mind. Lynn grandfather once told him that he should be getting better because of his skin color. he never forgot those words. “It ‘sa shame, but I know that going in it, “says Lynn.” I know I have to turn the damn thing, now. But at the same time, I will stand for what is right. I’m going to talk to if I have to. I do not want to scare you allow me to do that as a human being “is to say. He is not afraid to say that Kaepernick came a bit ‘too short. Lynn is happy with quarterbacks current, but they have some interest in Kaepernick express early summer. “i think there’s a chance it could come KAEP someone roster this year, because you can keep the roster spots for experienced players because of injuries and now perhaps because of COVID” Lynn says. “There’s still a chance. But Colin busy doing things to help make a change and signed great deals that might not have the time to go play NFL football. But I know that over the years, he should be given a chance. There is no doubt. We had these conversations. I can say that. We had these conversations. “Lynn is facing unprecedented challenges in relaunching his team’s plan is carried out. Start with his battle with COVID-19, he was diagnosed during a trip to Dallas to visit his mother at the end of June.” He always says , well, it is actually only 1% to kill, “says Lynn.” But if you think about the fact that 1%. “not sure how it was infected.” I mean, there was no one more paranoid about it than me, “says Lynn.” We’re talking about a guy who hand sanitizer in his front waist going anywhere. Wearing gloves, masks. “Lung Lynn collapsed during the car accident 15 years go by, that he feared would make it even more vulnerable.” And so it is a little ‘afraid it was for a while’, “says Lynn.” For me it was a very, very bad flu for about three or four days. “Read more: coronavirus college sports is putting on hold putting students, college and entire city budget in danger in training camp, Lynn believes COVID- 19 interested chemistry team. “a big part of football is the company,” he says. “If you have the social distance, it’s hard to build a team.” the first fully himself, team dressing meeting Lynn had was August 27 in SoFi stage to discuss the Blake said. “I could only hear people demand of the community that the community,” he says. “We did not have it. It will be difficult to build strong teams and trust with new players, when you do not. The longer we do to help it, much more than we see. I mean, this is the zoom year. Are you kidding me? There will be different. But we knew it would be a challenge, and we got a way to understand it still works. “The Chargers are this season with veteran Tyrod Taylor to start at quarterback. A potential franchise QB, Justin Herbert sixth overall in this year’s draft Oregon will be the backup. (Quarterback Philip Rivers, who for the past 14 seasons, signed with Indianapolis in the offseason has started every game for the Chargers.) preseason games have been canceled this year; in a sense, this training camp smooth Lynn. would be, because when Herbert shone in preseason games, the screams begin immediately pronounced. in sticking with Taylor as a starter, quoted Lynn John Elway and Peyton Manning, two legends who have started their years rookie; each throw more interceptions of TDs (Manning a rookie-record 28 interceptions in 1998 threw, tops in the NFL this year). “But the guys are two very strong-minded, Hall of F Ame, “he says. “Not everyone is wired, man. Not everyone can overcome this. So I do not expect [Herbert] come and play immediately. I think it would sit for a year do nothing but benefit from him.” She Herbert seem to have the mentality Elway-Manning, or is it too early to say? “He is a leader in its own way,” says Lynn. “It is more of an introvert. He quieter, but communicates, when with his teammates. And people are trying to say that knocking was out with him. He said that all the tools have, but it was not much of a leader. Introverted obtained in this way. I just know that these players respond well to him. ” The Chargers spent the last three seasons playing in Carson, California. football stadium that held just 27,000 fans, by far the smallest capacity in the NFL. Now she is a brilliant game of $5000000000 moved palace even more difficult to win in front of fans to zero due to the pandemic, the team’s efforts, the hearts and minds of Los Angeles. “LA. A difficult city,” says Lynn. “You have to have happened here, brother. You’ve got to win. And if you do not, people just do other things. And there are other sports franchises here that people are connected. So it is no doubt a difficult market. But people respect that hard work, the young people of high character men, their communities and help to do the things we do. It ‘s just a matter of time before we have a strong fan base here. But we knew when we moved here it would not happen overnight. Just as social justice. it will not happen overnight. “More than ever, social justice will be a main theme of the NFL season. A Alicia Keys rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song which is known as the black national anthem was played before Thursday’s opening night of the season Kansas City Chiefs-Houston Texans game. At least some players are likely during the national anthem or use another form of protest when the NFL kicks off this weekend kneel. Lynn remembers the reaction of his players after Blake’s recovery. “What I have with this s-t to do since I was nine years old,” says Lynn. “I was sad that day how they felt. We have about moving out. We certainly are not going to forget. But I wish I could do something to make them feel better, like in a few moments.” However, the Chargers coach remains confident that the his latest powerful wave sports activism will bring change, both inside and outside of the NFL. “I tell you, I never many people from all different backgrounds and colors come together and decide to change seen,” says Lynn. “Such a man, I am confident. I am very confident.”
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