Nepotism: The practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives, friends, or associates, especially by giving them jobs. - Oxford definition.
It's everywhere, but it's not in the Las Vegas Raiders organization, despite what some are saying and the narratives that are being created. Pete Carroll, the former Seattle Seahawks head coach, hired two of his sons, one of them being Brennan Carroll, who has great experience dealing with the offensive line. The Raiders got rid of all of their staff, or almost all of it, and moved on to Carroll's new staff.
So, he brought in his son, who he knows can coach an offensive line well, seeing that the former coach just could not get the job done. And, some said that Pete hiring Brennan was nepotism. But, in this case, it really isn't. This is a case of Carroll knowing someone really well who can do the job well and do it the right way, and the way he also likes things done, and someone who he knows fits his culture.
And, the players are praising Brennan.
"Great. We have a big, big room. Just like his father, he comes in with a great attitude each day to push us, to help us get better. And no, he's been fantastic so far," Kolton Miller said of Brennan Carroll at mandatory minicamp.
The Raiders have to improve their offensive line play in 2025 because in 2024, it just was not good enough. When you give a guy like Geno Smith plenty of time to throw, he can kill defenses. So, that's what Brennan is in Las Vegas to do -- fix the offensive line.
He's not there to kiss up to Daddy or anything like that. And in fact, I'm willing to bet that there aren't many people Carroll is harder on than his son. And, whatever Brennan is doing, it seems to be working so far.
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