Though there are only four Black head coaches in the NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Todd Bowles believes the media directs too much attention to race when their teams play against each other.
Ahead of Sunday's (October 16) matchup against the Pittsburg Steelers and Mike Tomlin, Bowles, the Buccaneers' head coach, said he doesn't "look at color" when playing against fellow Black coaches.
"I have a very good relationship with Tomlin," Bowles said during a press conference on Thursday (October 13). "We don't look at what color we are when we coach against each other. We just know each other."
"I have a lot of very good white friends that coach in this league as well and I don't think it's a big deal as far as us coaching against each other," he continued. "I think it's normal."
Along with Tomlin and Bowles, Lovie Smith of the Houston Texans and the Carolina Panthers' Steve Wilks, who stepped in as interim head coach after Matt Rhule was fired Monday (October 10), are the only Black head coaches in the league.
"Wilks got an opportunity to do a good job; hopefully he does it," Bowles continued. "We coach ball. We don't look at color."
The Bucs coach also called out the media's line of questioning during the press conference.
"Well, when you say 'you guys' and 'look like them' and 'grow up like them,' that means that we're oddballs to begin with," Bowles said. "I think the minute you guys stop making a big deal about it, everybody else will as well."
The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday.
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