NFL assistant coach Eugene Chung has revealed he was told Asians were “not the right minority” in a job interview.
Last season, Chung was interviewing for a position at an NFL team but was turned away after being the wrong minority.
“It was said to me, ‘Well, you’re really not a minority,'” Chung said. “I was like, ‘Wait a minute. The last time I checked, when I looked in the mirror and brushed my teeth, I was a minority.'”
“I asked about it, and as soon as the backtracking started, I was like, ‘Oh no, no, no, no, no, you said it. Now that it’s out there, let’s talk about it,'” Chung continued. “It was absolutely mind-blowing to me that, in 2021, something like that is actually a narrative.”
“So I was like, ‘What do you mean I’m not a minority?’ ” He questioned.
Chung did not reveal the name of the team or the interviewer but said he was told “you are not the right minority we’re looking for.”
The 51-year-old played played five seasons in the NFL and appeared in 55 career games as an offensive tackle for the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts.
He then served as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, though he hasn’t held a position since being let go by the Eagles after the 2019 season.
“For me, in this profession, I don’t think I’m looked at as a minority,” Chung said. “Whether that’s good or bad, I don’t know.”
In other news, a Chinese American civil rights group is suing former President Donald Trump for slurs that triggered “racial violence.”
