Washington Football Team Names Jennifer King Assistant Running Backs Coach, First Full Time, Female Black Coach In The NFL

January 28, 2021 by C.J. in Sports with 0 Comments

Washington Football Team Names Jennifer King Assistant Running Backs Coach, First Full Time, Female Black Coach In The NFL

The Washington Football Team’s latest move is another history-making one.

After hiring the NFL’s first Black team president, Jason Wright, in August, Jennifer King has been named WFT’s assistant running backs coach, making her the first Black woman to coach in the NFL full time.

Jason Wright

She spoke on the achievement on Good Morning America and recalled head coach Ron Rivera telling her she got the position.

“Coach called me in and we had a conversation to let me know what was going to happen, so I was really excited about it but, you know, in the middle of a game week things are kind of hectic so I went back to my office and went right back to work.”

She continued,

“Having that personal mantra of really trying to be so good that you can’t be denied. And just keep going — if it’s something you really want you have to find a way to get it done and not take no for an answer.”

WFT also saluted her on Twitter and wrote,

“From intern to full-time, @JenniferKing5put in the work and earned her spot”

Jennifer King previously played for the Woman’s Football Alliance team Carolina Phoenix. While there, she was a seven-time All-American quarterback and wide receiver. She made her debut in the NFL as a coaching intern for the Carolina Panthers before interning for WFT at the beginning of the 2020 NFL season. Before being brought on full time, she was the first Black woman to coach on an NFL sideline.

Jennifer King

Ron Rivera said in a statement,

“Coach King is well deserving of the promotion to assistant running backs coach. She came to Washington eager for the opportunity to work as a full-year coaching intern and learn from our staff. She got the chance to experience not only the in-season work that goes into being a full-time coach in this league but also the countless hours that are spent preparing in the offseason as well. She demonstrated all of the qualities that are needed to work full-time on my staff. She is a hard worker, a great communicator and a quality person. Coach King is always eager to learn and has shown tremendous growth since starting here last season. I know she will continue to be an asset to Coach Turner, Coach Jordan and the running back group, and she earned this opportunity with her hard work.”