Article - January 17th, 2007
Reese the GM in Giant step
Ralph Vacchiano, N.Y. Daily News
NFL front offices were still mostly white when Jerry Reese joined the NFL as a scout in 1994… twelve years later, the 43-year-old Reese was introduced as the first African-American general manager in the 82-year history of the Giants. Co-owner John Mara said, "We felt very strongly that he was the guy, regardless of the race issue."
Reese is now one of just three African-American GMs in the NFL, joining Baltimore's Ozzie Newsome and Houston's Rick Smith. He is also the one with the highest profile, by far.
"This really is the stage," said Hall of Famer Harry Carson, who attended Reese's press conference as the executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance (FPA), an organization dedicated to promoting diversity and equal opportunity in the NFL. "This is really the Mecca of football. Jerry understands that."
"Just think about the tens of millions of people in the New York area, how many teenagers there are who love football," said Cyrus Mehri, counsel for the FPA. "Now their eyes might open up a little bit if they see somebody like Jerry Reese in an important position.
"What message does that send to America's youth? That sends a message of hope."
Mara said that Reese's "extraordinary leadership skills, intelligence, confidence, superior work ethic and outstanding ability to evaluate players," got his attention, not the color of his skin.
"We obviously feel very strongly that he is the guy."