Mike Tomlin is experiencing his first season away from an NFL sideline in 19 years. In a wide-ranging interview with TODAY anchor Craig Melvin for a special edition of “Glass Half Full,” the former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach and current NBC Sports analyst didn’t shy away from one of the league’s most uncomfortable ongoing storylines: the shrinking number of Black head coaches in the NFL.

“Guys like me get asked that question all the time, and we’re talking around it, but the reality is, no, it’s those people that own teams that make critical decisions.”

“I respect the question, but ask them,” Tomlin said in the interview.

The NFL enters the 2026 season with just three Black head coaches: Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans, and Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets. This was after a record-tying 10 teams having vacant head coaching positions but hiring zero Black head coaches.

According to the Associated Press, it marked the fifth time since the Rooney Rule was adopted in 2003 that an entire hiring cycle produced no Black head coaching hires, leaving the league with the same number of Black head coaches it had the year before the rule existed. The Rule mandates two candidates of color be considered in searches for head coaches.

Tomlin, who stepped down after 19 seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach, credited the Rooney Rule for getting him where he is today.

“I had an awesome experience in Pittsburgh,” Tomlin said. “One of the initiatives is referred to as the Rooney Rule. They bought what they sold. And my journey, and my career, is a testament to that, and I respect it.”

However, there are some in the league who believe the Rooney Rule is not being used properly. Former Miami Dolphins head coach and now Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator has filed a landmark lawsuit against the NFL, the New York Giants and other teams, accusing them of racial discrimination.

“The Rooney Rule was intended to give minorities an opportunity to sit down in front of ownership, but it’s turned into an instance where guys are just checking the box,” Flores told CBS News. He believes Brian Daboll had already been singled out as the Giants’ head coach. His lawsuit produces a message Bill Belichick had mistakenly sent him, which was meant to congratulate Daboll.

In July this year, renowned assistant coach Thomas Brown, who failed to secure a head coaching job despite having helped the Patriots orchestrate a miraculous run to the Super Bowl last season, also voiced his concerns.

“It’s a very complex conversation, something that has been a consistent dialogue almost every single year. To say it’s frustrating in some ways is probably an understatement,” Brown said, per ESPN. “I’ve constantly heard this mantra the last six years in the NFL that people hire the most qualified candidates, which I hope is true and accurate. But you’re also seeing almost every time that is never a Black coach. Which is frustrating. I’ve also heard the phrase ‘there’s not many candidates in the pipeline to choose from.’ I do take issue with that, because I’ve been around some high-level great communicators, great connectors of people, at every stop I’ve been.”

Art Shell was the first Black head coach in modern NFL history, joining the Los Angeles Raiders in 1989. However, according to a Washington Post article from 2022, only 24 African American head coaches have been hired after Shell. Ryans, Antonio Pierce, Jerod Mayo, and Glenn have bumped up that number to 28, which remains concerning. It has been more than 30 years since Shell’s hiring, and there aren’t enough Black head coaches in the league.

It’s a drastic number for a league which has an overwhelming majority of Black players.

“Until you see more coaches,” Dolphins linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. told PBS, “we’re all going to look at it the same way: There aren’t enough Black coaches.”

Tomlin’s point cuts through all the usual talk about diversity. Getting a candidate in the room is one thing. Actually giving them the job is another. And Tomlin knows exactly who has the power to make that call.