Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin paused for a moment to think while speaking to a reporter after a practice this season. McLaurin, like the majority of NFL players, is Black, and, like some of his colleagues,

In today’s NFL, prevailing strategic wisdom is anything but conventional. Analytical insights and a scoring environment fueled by offense-friendly rule changes have forced coaches to evolve. Coaching conservatism is fast becoming a relic. Aggression rules the day.

More than 90% of the 65-plus Black NFL players surveyed by The Associated Press over the past seven months were encouraged to have seen the number of Black head coaches in the lea

From organized team activities through the end of the regular season, reporters from The Associated Press who cover the NFL spoke to more than 65 Black players from 25 teams to gather their thoughts on the state of Black head coaches in the league.

An Associated Press survey of more than 65 Black players from 25 NFL teams found that about 36% were discouraged or disappointed by the number of Black coaches in the league.

More than a third of Black NFL players who responded to questions about the state of Black head coaches around the league were discouraged or disappointed by the current numbers.