Thomas Brown speaks on becoming NFL’s 3rd Black play-caller

Thomas Brown’s new opportunity means a lot, and not just to him and the Carolina Panthers.

Brown spoke with reporters early this afternoon, a day removed from officially taking over play-calling duties on offense. He began by thanking the man who handed them over, head coach Frank Reich.

“Obviously, super appreciative of Frank for giving me this opportunity,” he said. “Not just talkin’ about the play-calling opportunity, but just from the very beginning. ‘Cause it’s normal in this profession to stick to who you know, guys you’ve worked with before—and we had no prior background together.

“So from the very beginning, he’s always been open and honest about his approach. Most times, these jobs are filled before the interview process even starts. So givin’ me the chance to go through that, kinda express my ideas about the offense, what I’m gonna bring to the table and, obviously, continuin’ to grow and learn from him has been a great deal for me.”

Brown, 37, was hired as the team’s offensive coordinator this past offseason. But he wasn’t in charge of pressing all the buttons on offense right away, as Reich was openly reluctant to entrust the play sheet with his first-year coordinator.

That, however, changed on Monday—as the decision made Brown just the third Black play-caller currently in the NFL. And hopefully, it’ll inspire some more change around the league.

“I mean, it’s huge,” he said. “I think there’s three of us in the National Football League who are coordinators. It’s a rare opportunity—for a number of different reasons, which I won’t dive into my thought process or the reasons why right now. But I do understand I have the opportunity to help us have success—from a Panthers standpoint, but also open up doors for more guys that look like myself as well in the future.”

Brown now joins Washington’s Eric Bieniemy and Philadelphia’s Brian Johnson as the league’s only Black play-callers.