No, CNN, You Don't Know Racism Prevented Eric Bieniemy From Head Coaching Job

Skin color remains the chief topic of the Super Bowl among corporate news networks. And CNN host Jake Tapper relit that conversation on Tuesday.

Tapper injected race into an NFL recap segment with former sportscaster Bob Costas. The host suggested that teams have passed over Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as their head coach on account of his blackness.

"Let's just ask the question on the table. Would Eric Bieniemy be a head coach today if he were white?" Tapper asked after noting that the Arizona Cardinals hired Eagles defensive coach Jonathan Gannon.

Costas quickly bit, responding, "I think you would have to conclude that as likely."

Jake Tapper and Bob Costas.

Here is CNN, the longest-running cable news network on-air, telling viewers that NFL teams "likely" passed over Bieniemy on the basis of his race.

Of course, there is no proof of such claim. There are an unlimited number of reasons why a coordinator hasn't become a head coach, most of which are unrelated to race.

Perhaps Bieniemy’s long, troubling rap sheet played a role in teams passing on him. The website SportsCasting recently documented his past:

Certainly, character comes into play when a billion-dollar franchise selects its next leader of a locker room.

Perhaps working under Andy Reid, one of the NFL's leading offensive-minded head coaches, has complicated the perception of Bieniemy's success as an offensive coordinator.

As FanSided reported Tuesday, Bieniemy does not call plays. Bieniemy is not in control of his side of the ball, as other coordinators/head-coaching candidates are.

CNN Ignored The Facts

Tapper wonders aloud why a team would hire Gannon, a white man, over Bieniemy. Perhaps it's because Gannon ran and called the plays for the Eagles' defense. Philadelphia's defense ranked No.2 in the NFL under Gannon in 2022.

Bieniemy, meanwhile, worked alongside the best quarterback and head coach in the NFL with the third most input among the trio.

One might conclude Bieniemy's lack of responsibilities might derail his claim for head coaching candidates.

Don't take our word for it. Take Bieniemy's actions.

Eric Bieniemy has been actively interviewing for other OC jobs. He's considering leaving the cushiest OC job in the NFL in a lateral move to work under a defensive head coach, such as Ron Rivera of the Washington Commanders.

In Washington, Bieniemy could call plays and install his own offense -- not assist in Andy Reid's brainchild.

However, CNN didn't mention his interest in the Commanders during the segment. Nor did Tapper note the other black coordinators who have recently become head coaches.

Tapper cherry-picked Gannon as an example of a team choosing a white candidate over Bieniemy. However, he didn't comment on the Texans hiring DeMeco Ryans.

Ryans' resume is similar to Gannon's. Ryans, a black man, ran the 49ers' defense, under an offensive head coach, to the NFL's best statistical unit in 2022.

Perhaps that's why Houston chose Ryans over a long pool of other black and white candidates.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy talks with head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs prior to the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Arrowhead Stadium on January 21, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

Now, we began each possibility with "perhaps." See, we cannot say for certain why owners didn't choose one specific individual from a lengthy list of candidates. No one outside of the owners can say for certain.

Not us, Not CNN.

Yet, Tapper and Costas still declared race as the "likeliest" reason for a team not hiring Bieniemy as head coach.

Tapper is a skilled interviewer and often prioritizes journalism. On average, he's among the more credible hosts on television. Certainly at CNN.

But his question to Costas was lazy. He didn't do his research. He didn't ask what reasons could have contributed to Bieniemy's lack of head coaching opportunities. Rather, he asked, "would he be a head coach today if he were white?"

Tapper and his producers knew Costas would not reject said hypothesis.

The last thing Costas, 70, wants is to see the mob accuse him of denying racism. Of course he was going to agree with Tapper's "question."

The segment added no insight into the matter. Instead, it further stoked racial hysteria by telling black people the myth that they are victims of a society that white supremacy plagues.

Would Jake Tapper and Bob Costas have their jobs if they were black? Based on their logic, not ours, the answer is no.

Bobby Burack’s recent column: Tyre Nichols’ Death Doesn’t Prove White Supremacy, It Proves A Need To Inflame Fear Of White Supremacy