Daniel Kucin Jr./Associated Press
Jennifer King has spent part of the past three seasons working as an intern for the Carolina Panthers and Washington Football Team under coach Ron Rivera. On Tuesday, she was officially announced as the full-time employee assistant running backs to Washington.
King talked about the promotion and what it means to be the first black woman in the NFL to be a technical assistant.
“Representation means a lot,” she told ESPN’s John Keim. “It is very important now to be a good representative, which I did not have while growing up. I had no one who looked like me at work. Being able to see this, I think, is great. It’s super cool to be a part of it. “
Hiring King is an important step, given the scarcity of coaches and the disproportionate number of white coaches and front office executives.
“It is very important to open the entire group of candidates when you have a position,” she said. “So far, historically in football, it’s only 50 percent of the people; no women have been considered. For future coaches, that gives them a foot in the door. It’s up to us to do a good job.”