The NFL was founded 100 years ago this year, but has never had a Black woman as a full-time coach or an assistant coach. Jennifer King and the Washington Washington Football Team are about to change that, according to reports.
The Athletic reports that, the Washington Football Team are planning to make King an assistant coach. Unnamed sources told the online sports publication that King would be returning to work with head coach Ron Rivera after being a coaching intern for him in 2017. Last year, she was the offensive assistant with Dartmouth College.
“Part of it, it’s all about the fan base,” Rivera told ESPN back in 2018 regarding a woman becoming a coordinator or a head coach. “It’s also knowing the moms out there that understand the game. It’s important because they really do control whether their kids are going to play. This is something that has to be developed. It helps us in a lot of ways. It also shows everybody deserves an opportunity.”
In 2019 Rivera spoke specifically about King: “[Her] knowledge of the game was impressive. It’s a double standard when it comes to sports with females and men. She’s been through what we’ve been through. It’s different learning by the book and actually playing and actually going through it — understanding how players feel when they’re hurting and not hurting, when they’re frustrated.”
If she becomes part of the Washington Football Team's staff, King would be the fourth woman overall to be a full-time coach. The others include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Lori Locust (assistant defensive line coach), and Maral Javadifar (assistant strength and conditioning coach) along with the San Francisco 49ers’ Katie Sowers (offensive assistant).
