Jennifer King named as full-year coaching intern in the NFL

By Dekyra Dennis
Staff Writer/MC301

The NFL is making big strides as they hire the very first African-American woman as a full time coach for the Washington Redskins.

Jennifer King, a seven time All-American quarterback who also has experience at other positions including wide receiver, running back, and safety. However for the Redskins, she will be working with the running backs.

Furthermore, King not only has experience on the field, she has also coached college basketball. She led Johnson & Wales University to a U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association Division II National Championship in 2018.

She played softball and basketball at Guilford College in North Carolina and played in the Women’s Football Alliance. While there, she played with several female-tackle teams such as the Carolina Phoenix, New York Sharks, and D.C. Divas.

Before her full-time internship, King spent two summers as a part-time coaching intern for Rod Rivera when he was the head coach of the Carolina Panthers in 2018 and 2019.

King met Rod Rivera at a forum held for women to establish connections with the league to land jobs in the future. Rivera invited her to talk to the team and she got the opportunity to become a coaching intern.

According to the Washington Post, head coach Rod Rivera stated, “Jennifer is a bright young coach and will be a great addition to our staff.”

He also stated, “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.”

Overtime, the NFL has added women to their coaching staff, which allows women to explore more opportunities in male-dominated careers.

For example, the San Francisco 49ers hired offensive assistant Katie Sowers, who became the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl game.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians hired two women to his full-time staff shortly after his own hiring back in 2019.

Jalen Jones, a junior interdisciplinary studies major from Memphis, Tenn., has high hopes for female coaches in the future.

“It will happen soon, just one step at a time, gradually working from the ground up. I don’t think it will work if you try to instantly insert a woman in a major coaching role.”

Rayvn Basinger, a biology major from Inglewood, Calif., believes that the NFL is taking a step in the right direction by hiring women of color.

“For years I have been told that women of color work twice as hard as any individual due to the stereotype of women, plus the obstacle of becoming successful from other competition like men. I hope this moment has a legendary and impactful footprint and paves the way for women of color.”