The Indianapolis Colts are being proactive in the effort to promote diversity within the NFL coaching ranks.
The team announced on Monday the creation of the Tony Dungy Diversity Fellowship, a program that will afford diverse and talented football coaching candidates an opportunity to gain valuable experience as they progress in their careers.
"I am thrilled that the Colts are seeking to help build diversity and inclusion in NFL coaching by launching this Diversity Fellowship coaching program," Dungy said, via the team's website. "It's a tremendous honor for me to be identified with the program. I applaud the Irsay family and the organization for taking this proactive step, and I hope it encourages other teams to look for ways to promote equal opportunities in the coaching ranks."
The Colts aim to expand the team's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives while also providing the team access to talented coaches through the program. Qualified candidates will be interviewed and evaluated by a selection committee composed of Dungy, the Irsay family, general manager Chris Ballard, head coach Frank Reich and other members of the Colts' staff. The Colts will hire a "Dungy Fellow" for the offense and defense as part of the program.
Dungy, who was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2016, is the first Black head coach to win a Super Bowl and the winningest coach in Colts franchise history. Dungy accumulated a 139-69 regular-season record with the Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the course of a 13-year coaching career in the NFL.
"We're humbled and honored that Tony Dungy's trailblazing accomplishments are also a part of our rich Colts history, but none of us can afford to rest on our laurels when it comes to advancing fairness and opportunity in the NFL's coaching ranks," Colts owner & CEO Jim Irsay said. "That's why the Colts are so proud to create this fellowship in Tony's honor that will help level the playing field for those who want to coach, teach and lead."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently stated that the league plans to reevaluate everything it is doing as it pertains to diversity and the hiring of minority head coaches, including re-examining the Rooney Rule.
"What we're going to do is step back and look at everything we're doing today, reevaluate that, everything from looking at the Rooney Rule and what changes should be made with that, or should it be removed, as some people have suggested," Goodell said during his news conference outside SoFi Stadium ahead of Super Bowl LVI. "All of those things are part of that. We're going to talk to other people, have independent people come in and look and help us evaluate, because it's sometimes hard to evaluate your own policies and procedures and make sure that we're doing everything we possibly can to create that opportunity for everybody, and make sure we are an inclusive league and make sure we get the outcomes we want, and that our policies truly are effective with outcomes."
Candidates interested in applying for the Colts' fellowship can visit colts.com/tonydungydiversityfellowship.
