Family Affair: Raiders Head Coach Antonio Pierce Hires Son
Antonio Pierce, fresh off earning his head coaching gig for the Las Vegas Raiders, is hiring his son De’Andre as an assistant offensive coach.
On its face, it sounds like nepotism. After all, the job should go for the best person for the job, not just your offspring. But De’Andre has some football chops of his own.
He was a captain of his high school team at Long Beach Polytechnic High School where his head coach was… Antonio Pierce. But hey, Long Beach Poly is a great high school that generates more NFL-caliber players than any other.
De’Andre went onto Boise State and later transferred to Arizona State University where, let’s see here… he played underneath… Antonio Pierce, who was the defensive coordinator. Oh boy.
After graduating, De’Andre moved on to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as their football program’s defensive quality control coach. After one year there, he is headed to the big show as an offensive quality control coach for the Silver & Black.
RAAAAIIIIIDEEERRRRRSSSS pic.twitter.com/RO94rSh1C1
— De’Andre Pierce (@DeAndrePierce4_) February 13, 2024
Antonio Pierce Hiring His Son For Raiders Gig Is Nothing New In The NFL
Of course, it is easy to point at this and say “favoritism,” but hiring family members to work close to you in the locker room is nothing new in the National Football League.
An article from USA Today found that around 35% of all the head coaches in the league were related to coaches that are either currently or used to be in the NFL. It also found that a several lower level coaches serving in the league are closely related to a coach in the league. Heck, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan almost made history with his dad Mike for being the first father-son to both head coach NFL teams to a Super Bowl victory.
Big names like former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick hired both of his sons, Stephen and Brian, as assistant coaches with the team. But maybe there is more than meets the eye.
In Belichick’s case, even his daughter Amanda is a head coach. She has led the Holy Cross women’s lacrosse program for nearly a decade. Did the name help? Maybe. But you don’t get to stay in the gig if you eventually stink up the place. Ask Bill.
When you’re De’Andre Pierce, odds are the pressure is higher – not lower – given the optics. Antonio Pierce earned the gig and he gets to pick the soldiers he wants to fight with. We’ll see what happens. September will be here before you know it.