Lovie Smith has been hired by the Houston Texans as their next head coach.
Smith was the Texans’ associate head coach and defensive coordinator this past season.
“[Smith] is one of the most respected coaches in the NFL and an established leader,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said in a statement released by the team. “A proven winner, Lovie has shown the ability to develop players both on and off the field for years. We had numerous discussions with countless coaches, executives, and players, and what revealed itself is that Lovie has both the leadership and people skills it takes to lead us forward. We both understand how much work is in front of us, but we embrace the responsibility and look forward to continuing to build a program that can have sustained success.”
Smith replaces David Culley, who was fired by the Texans in mid-January, less than one year after he was hired.
“I’m humbled to be the next head coach of the Houston Texans and incredibly excited to continue to work with Nick,” Smith said in a statement. “I have so many friends, family, teammates and coaches to thank for supporting me and helping me continue to do what I love, which is teaching and developing players. I understand the responsibility I have to this organization and this city to develop a championship-level program. I’m ready to get to work and build it together.”
With his hiring, Smith becomes one of only five minority coaches in the NFL. The others include Mike Daniel of the Miami Dolphins, Robert Saleh of the New York Jets, Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ron Rivera of the Washington Commanders.
Smith was hired just days after former Miami head coach Brian Flores filed a racial-discrimination lawsuit. Flores is suing the NFL, The Miami Dolphins, The New York Giants and Denver Broncos for accused bias during the interview processes in New York and Denver and his firing by Miami.
The attorneys for Flores, who interviewed twice and was a finalist for the Texans’ job, released a statement after the announcement of Smith’s hiring.
“Mr. Flores is happy to hear that the Texans have hired a Black head coach, Lovie Smith, as Mr. Flores’ goal in bringing his case is to provide real opportunities for Black and minority candidates to be considered for coaching and executive positions within the NFL,” Douglas H. Wigdor and John Elefterakis said. “However, we would be remiss not to mention that Mr. Flores was one of three finalists for the Texans’ head coach position and, after a great interview and mutual interest, it is obvious that the only reason Mr. Flores was not selected was his decision to stand up against racial inequality across the NFL.”
Smith was previously an NFL head coach with the Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He joined the Texans staff after five seasons as head coach at the University of Illinois.
Information from ESPN.com and SI.com contributed to this report.
