PURE STEEL
First & 10 with Jemele Hill

Jemele Hill is a columnist for ESPN.com's Page 2 and a writer for ESPN the Magazine. A 30-year old African-American female, Hill is a uniquely qualified to discuss the Steelers' hire of Mike Tomlin as head coach, and that's exactly what PSR contributing editor did when caught up with Hill at Steelers traning camp in Latrobe last month.

PSR: What does the Tomlin hire say about the progress the NFL has made racially?

Hill: Tomlin's hire says the NFL finally is starting to get it. In 1990, Art Shell was the NFL's first black coach in the modern era. And almost 20 years later, you not only have Tomlin, but two black coaches in the Super Bowl. Even if you just trace how much things have progressed from Tony Dungy to Tomlin, it's impressive. Tony Dungy was passed over for numerous opportunities, and now you have a young, black coach who was hired to head one of the league's marquee franchises. The NFL still has a long way to go in terms of having more minorities in key, decision-making roles, but I don't think anyone expected them to progress this quickly. There was a lot of negative things said about the Rooney rule, but Tomlin's hire proves it was worth it.

PSR: Is this the best NFL job that an African-American coach has ever stepped into, and if yes, why?

Hill: I don't think there is any question Mike Tomlin was afforded the best opportunity a black coach has been given, only coming in second to Ray Rhodes, who had a short-lived stint with the Packers. Most times, black coaches are given impossible, dead-end jobs - kind of like the one Tony Dungy originally inherited in Tampa Bay - and are expected to achieve miracles. Tomlin was given control of maybe the most storied franchise in the NFL, one that has stood for excellence for many years and has a deeply-rooted championship pedigree. Let's be honest, it's an opportunity that most often has gone to a white guy. That speaks volumes about the Rooneys, but how we far we've come on this issue in general.

PSR: If Tomlin has success, do you expect other NFL squads to give young assistants of color a shot?

Hill: I see things only getting better. If Tomlin has success, it shows you can give a young, black coach a tremendous opportunity just like you can Jon Gruden or Eric Mangini. It would go a long way in showing that's it's not just young, white coaches that can be geniuses and that they aren't the only ones worthy of investing in early.

PSR: In your opinion, why are so many in the media unwilling to write about race, except when it's a clear-cut issue?

Hill: Sports writers don't write about race because they fear the backlash. It's uncomfortable, to say the least. As much as people say ad nausea that race isn't an issue, they sure do respond quite vigilantly and strongly whenever the subject arises - which only leads me to believe we really do want to talk about it. The longer we try to act as if race isn't an undercurrent in everything we do, feel and say, the more ill-equipped we'll be to discuss it when it's pertinent to do so.