Vikings assistant head coach Mike Pettine “oversaw” the team’s fourth annual diversity summit last month, holding it just after the NFL paused its accelerator program in May, according to Andrew Krammer of the MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE. Pettine said that “there was ‘never any doubt’” that the team’s diversity summit, a three-day event held at its Eagan headquarters, would continue for a fourth year under head coach Kevin O’Connell. Pettine, a former NFL head coach who is white, has said that he has “been motivated by the NFL’s lack of diversity in coordinator and head coaching ranks.” That is why he continued the program, which “focuses on exposure and preparation for entry-level NFL jobs and fosters networking, despite diversity, equity and inclusion efforts being rolled back nationwide.” The Vikings’ three-day program is independent of the NFL’s multiple accelerator programs. Pettine said that he is “hopeful other NFL coaches will begin similar programs regardless of what the league is doing.” Pettine said, “We didn’t get wrapped up in stuff.” He added, “To me, it was too important. We weren’t going to make a big deal out of not doing it. There was never any thought of that” (MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE, 7/2).
Vikings continue diversity summit despite NFL pausing its accelerator program
