Voters across the board agree with NFL coach shooting down race question from reporter: 'Class act'

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Voters react to Buccaneers coach shoot down ESPN reporter question race

Real-time video survey of the viral clip showed voters across the political spectrum react favorably to Todd Bowles.

Voters across the political spectrum reacted favorably to a viral clip of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles shooting down a question about race from an ESPN reporter. 

Bowles last month was taking questions ahead of his team's upcoming game when one reporter pointed out the opposing Pittsburgh Steelers also had a Black head coach.

"You and Mike Tomlin are two of the few Black head coaches in the league, I wonder what your relationship is like with him and your thoughts on Steve Wilks joining that fold," the reporter said. 

CONSERVATIVES CELEBRATE BUCS COACH TODD BOWLES COMMENTS SMACKING DOWN ESPN REPORTER'S RACE QUESTION

Head coach Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks on during pregame warm-ups prior to a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Raymond James Stadium on October 27, 2022 in Tampa, Florida.  (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

"I have a very good relationship with Tomlin, we don’t look at what color we are when we coach against each other," Bowles replied. "We just know each other and I have a lot of very good White friends that coach in this league as well, and I don’t think it’s a big deal, as far as us coaching against each other, I think it’s normal."

He added that Wilks, the new interim coach of the Carolina Panthers, got the opportunity to hold a job position and wished him luck, but reiterated that he and other leaders in the NFL coach football and do not look at color. 

ESPN reporter Jenna Laine, who is White, then posed a follow-up question, asking, "But, you also understand that representation matters too right? You have aspiring coaches and football players, they see you guys —they see someone that looks like them, maybe grew up like them. That has to mean something."

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"When you say, ‘see you guys,’ and, ‘look like them,’ and ‘grew up like them,’ it means that we’re oddballs to begin with," Bowles shot back. "And I think the minute you guys stop making a big deal about it, everybody else will as well."

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In a survey that played the video of his remarks and allowed respondents to track their reaction in real time, 159 participants evenly split among Democrats (blue line), Republicans (red line) and independents (yellow line), reacted positively to Bowle’s response to the reporters. He received a rare unanimous grade of A across party lines. 

"Rare that you see this kind of agreement across political divides, but Coach Bowles struck the right tone across the board," said pollster Lee Carter, who conducted the survey through her company Maslansky + Partners. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles wears Florida Strong tee-shirt during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, in Tampa, Fla.  (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

"He addressed the issue. He neutralized the criticism. And he didn’t take the bait even when Jenna Laine went straight for the jugular. He was consistent, level-headed, and clear. I think all Americans are tired of these kinds of manufactured divides."

The video graph of real-time reactions showed relatively neutral reactions to the reporters’ questions, but large spikes in positive reactions when Bowles responded.

One voter summed up the overall responses well, writing, "Totally a class act! His reply to the race-baiting questions was perfect."

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Bowles is in his second stint as a head coach after three years as Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator. A former NFL safety, he previously was head coach of the New York Jets and has held coaching positions on the college and professional levels since 1997.