Jennifer King: Washington Football Team hire first full-time black female coach in NFL history

King is the second female assistant coach in the NFL after Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust

Rohith Nair
Tuesday 26 January 2021 13:12 EST
Comments
Washington have hired Jennifer King as a full-time assistant position coach
Washington have hired Jennifer King as a full-time assistant position coach (USA TODAY Sports)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Washington Football Team promoted Jennifer King to assistant running backs coach on Tuesday, making her the NFL's first full-time black female coach.

King, who was an intern under Washington running backs coach Randy Jordan during the 2020 season, is the second female assistant coach in the NFL after Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust.

Washington head coach Ron Rivera said King deserved the promotion for the hours she put in for in-season and off-season work in a season where they made the playoffs.

"She demonstrated all of the qualities that are needed to work full-time on my staff," Rivera said in a statement.

"She is a hard worker, a great communicator and a quality person. Coach King is always eager to learn and has shown tremendous growth since starting here last season.

"I know she will continue to be an asset... She earned this opportunity with her hard work. The sky is truly the limit for her."

King, a seven-times All-American quarterback and wide receiver for the Carolina Phoenix women's tackle football team from 2006-17, also has experience as a coach in women's basketball.

She was the head coach of Johnson & Wales University Charlotte from 2016-18 and was named USCAA Division II National Coach of the Year in 2018 when they won the National Championship. 

Reuters

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in