For much of the Houston Texans’ search process, Josh McCown was rumored to be the preferred choice as head coach. Ultimately, though, Lovie Smith was somewhat abruptly hired instead.
The Texans were poised to hire McCown as head coach, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. That changed, however, when Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL and three of its teams alleging racial discrimination in hiring and firing practices. While the Texans were not named as a defendant, the team’s treatment of fired coach David Culley was cited as evidence to back Flores’ case.
At that point, the Texans were already bracing for a backlash if they hired McCown due to his lack of coaching experience at any level. Once the Flores lawsuit was filed, the proposition became a non-starter, as the team was aware they would be hiring McCown at the expense of more experienced minority candidates. That led them to pivot to Smith, who would have remained in his role as defensive coordinator under McCown.
The Texans were so serious about McCown that they were reportedly hoping another team would want to speak to him to add legitimacy to their hire. Ultimately, their calculations were correct, though. Hiring McCown would have sparked a significant backlash, and Flores may have even used it to support his allegations. The organization did not need that kind of PR crisis.
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