Is there another way of looking at this by chance? The fact that he is black says a lot and shouldn't be silenced for just his qualifications and non-racial experience. I think part of the reason this is an important hire and why he himself has says this is personal, is because he is black. I would be very surprised if he hasn't encountered some form of racism, prejudice, and been around systems that don't always reward the best and brightest - but reward based on lesser merits. I think that positions him to take on the issues of this team in a way that someone who was part of the good old boys club could not. Recall the guy brought in to handle the renaming of the team - everyone says he has worked with Snyder for years and mentioned that his hire was really a nod to nothing is really changing. Some even said that his hire undermines the Julie Donaldson hire potentially.
Sometimes what makes someone great for a situation is their experience - not just on the football field or in corporate america, but in life. I think when he gets the role for all of those reasons, it should be discussed and valued as other teams may look at this and say - yeah, that actually makes sense ... why haven't we looked into this before?
We have to be careful asking to take color out of the conversation. Many of my black friends and colleagues have told me that they actually want color in the conversation - color is there, pretending it isn't can be a disservice or illusion. If we embrace and appreciate color instead of condemn it and hide it, I think there is more reality of seeing the world as it is. Can anyone say that Matt Lefleur or Zak Taylor had more experience to get a shot at a head coaching stint than Eric Bieniemy? Matt has done a great job in Green Bay, but it is always a gamble with a first time HC. When you look at Zac Taylor's resume, I don't know that anything stood out aside from being around Sean McVay and having his name buzzed because of those he's been around. I have no idea of whether or not race plays into any of this - but if you look at Eric's qualifications and who he's been around ... if he were white - is it possible he'd already be leading a struggling team that changed coaches? Maybe, maybe not - but color is there even if people want to act like it isn't.
Everyone should ascend based on their merits and skills. Sadly, that isn't how the world has been working. Look at the statistics on black deaths and wrongful shootings by police compared with suspects of other colors. There are a lot of protests taking place in this country over systems that may have been meant to be color blind but have not been. This is a big deal right now in this country. Lets celebrate all of it, even the diversity standpoint. Especially for a team which had an owner who was a legendary bigot and had to be forced to accept black players to the organization.