TEMPE, Ariz. -- In March, Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was asked when the NFL would have a female coach.
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Cardinals'& #128;& #153; Bruce Arians breaking the gender barrier? No surprise
Cardinals coach Bruce Arians' hiring Jen Welter was bold, surprising and even risky. In other words, it was vintage Arians.
Weinfuss: Five things to know about Welter
Five things to know about new Arizona Cardinals assistant coaching intern Jen Welter, who is believed to be the first female coach in NFL history.
The answer was Monday.
The Cardinals hired Jen Welter as an assistant coaching intern for training camp and the preseason to work with inside linebackers. She is believed to be the first female coach of any kind in the NFL.
"Someone asked me yesterday, 'When are we going to have female coaches?'" Arians said. "The minute they can prove they can make a player better, they'll be hired."
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of her?
Belichick's dad was a coach and he was obsessive about football from an earlier. Bit of a silly comparison unless she has a similar background.
As for Welter's background, she went to BC, so I'm surprised Arians beat Coughlin to the punch.
On the one hand, if she loves football and is qualified, why not.
On the other hand, were there more qualified applicants for that position who got passed over so the statement could be made.
Not saying that scenario 2 is bad or even that it isn't necessary as there have been many such bold moves bringing us out of the dark ages where gender and race are concerned.
However, in a day when athletes are often difficult to handle, due to the amount of money made, I would be curious to learn if a female coach has more problems with credibility than a male counterpart.
After all, the mind set of many professional athletes is not particularly sophisticated
This is basically an internship. It's a good way for the League to get a sense of the challenges a woman coach will face if/when one is hired for real.
There is a lot of nepotism in the NFL. So if you have connections you get your spot or in the running for it. She made a good impression according to the article in one of the links provided, on Arians, so he can bypass other applicants, more qualified or not.