Jennifer King Becomes First Full-Time Black Female Assistant Coach In NFL History
The Washington Football Team, formerly known as the Washington Redskins, announced on Tuesday (January 26) that they are hiring Jennifer King as a full-time assistant coach, which makes her the NFL’s first Black woman in such a role.
King is currently the team’s assistant running backs coach after she served a full-year as a coaching intern in 2020. During that time she worked with the offensive staff throughout the offseason, training camp and regular season.
King says she’s excited for her new opportunity and happy she could help open the doors of opportunity for women in a male-dominated league.
"It's another step forward for women in football," she said, according to CBS News. "It's a good moment for me, but it's a good moment for a lot of people aspiring to be in this situation as well."
King also had a message for young women looking to one day become NFL coaches.
"Just keep going," she said. "If it's something that you want to do, continue to gain knowledge and experience. Take any experience you can get and just keep going and keep growing in the game."
King joins Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar as the only current full-time female coaches in the league.
