Former University of Colorado tight end and current Washington Redskins assistant Jon Embree has verbally accepted an offer to become the next head football coach at CU, multiple reports are indicating.
Although the University of Colorado insists it has not extended a formal offer to anyone, former national championship-winning CU coach and candidate for the current opening Bill McCartney told the Denver Post on Thursday morning that the team had informally offered the job to Embree, who was one of three final candidates identified Wednesday night.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the University was still insisting that it had not made an offer.
McCartney, however, took his claims a step further on Wednesday afternoon, telling the Denver Post that the Embree had already verbally accepted the offer, which he says was made largely because CU wanted a black coach.
"It was never about me doing it again," McCartney said of his interest in the job. "It was about setting the table for a black man to come in (as head coach). And he (athletic director Mike Bohn) hired one. Now, give him a chance."
McCartney later commended CU for making the offer, telling the Post: "quite frankly, it's awesome."
As of February, just 3 out of 119 Division 1 college football programs had black coaches. The NCAA has been criticized in the past for its lack of black football coaches.
The head-coaching job at CU became vacant after the school fired Dan Hawkins in November.