The Washington Redskins have made History as the team has hired Jennifer King as a full-time coaching intern, making her the first black woman to coach in NFL history.
King has accepted the position with Ron Rivera, who is head coach of the Redskins. However, this won’t be the first time King and Rivera work together as King had previously worked as an intern for Rivera in 2018 and 2019 when he coached the Carolina Panthers.
In a statement on Redskins.com, Rivera spoke highly of his new hire stating, “Jennifer is a bright young coach and will be a great addition to our staff.”
“Her familiarity with my expectations as a coach and my firsthand knowledge of her work ethic and preparation were big factors in bringing her to the Redskins,” Rivera continued.
Rivera also spoke highly of King to ESPN in 2018, stating that her “knowledge of the game was impressive.”
“It’s a double standard when it comes to sports with females and men,” Rivera continued. “She’s been through what we’ve been through. It’s different learning by the book and actually playing and actually going through it — understanding how players feel when they’re hurting and not hurting when they’re frustrated.”
While King is the first black woman in a full-time coaching position, she joins an ever-growing list of female assistant coaches including Katie Sowers (49ers), Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar (Buccaneers) and former assistant coaches Jen Welter (Cardinals), Kelsey Martinez (Raiders) and Kathryn Smith (Bills), ProFootballTalk reports.
Prior to her possible new position, King worked as an offensive assistant coach at Dartmouth College, BET reports. King has also coached in the Alliance of American Football soccer league, according to Redskins.com.
Rivera also told ESPN in 2019 that women, moms especially, have a huge involvement in sports.
“Part of it, it’s all about the fan base,” Rivera said. “It’s also knowing the moms out there that understand the game. It’s important because they really do control whether their kids are going to play. This is something that has to be developed. It helps us in a lot of ways. It also shows everybody deserves an opportunity.”
According to SBNation Hogs Haven, King will work Redskins alongside running back coach Randy Jordan and the 2020 RB corps.
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