NFL to Review Eugene Chung’s Allegation that Team Said He Was ‘Not the Right Minority’

The NFL has announced that they will investigate claims from an Asian-American former player and coach that a team told him he “not the right minority” during an interview for a coaching position.

Eugene Chung, a five-year NFL veteran with ten years of coaching experience in the Eagles organization, made headlines after revealing how he came to realize that the NFL’s efforts to increase the number of minority coaches did not apply to him.

“It was said to me, ‘Well, you’re really not a minority,’” Chung told the Boston Globe.

“I was like, ‘Wait a minute. The last time I checked, when I looked in the mirror and brushed my teeth, I was a minority. So I was like, ‘What do you mean I’m not a minority?’ ”

Chung added: “You are not the right minority we’re looking for.”

Chung did not reveal the name of the interviewer or which team he was interviewing with.

However, the names of the interviewer and the identity of the organization may soon come to light. The NFL announced on Monday that it has decided to open an investigation into Chung’s claims.

“We will review the matter,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement via Pro Football Talk. “That comment is completely inappropriate and contrary to league values and workplace policies. The NFL and its clubs are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all personnel in a manner that is consistent with our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”

The NFL created the Rooney Rule to increase the number of minority hires among the league’s head coaches. Recently, the rule got a makeover and was expanded to include hiring minority candidates for assistant coach and front office positions. Should a team satisfy the Rooney Rule requirements and hire the minority candidates, the league can reward the team with extra draft picks.

“I’m not sitting here bashing the league at all, because there are great mentors and there are great coaches that embrace the difference,” Chung explained. “It’s just when the Asians don’t fit the narrative, that’s where my stomach churns a little bit.”

It’s hard to imagine the league’s investigation getting very far, though, if Chung sticks to his decision not to reveal the name of the interviewer involved.