Two Giants assistant coaches to represent team at Coach Accelerator program

The New York Giants will be sending two of their assistant coaches to the NFL’s Coach Accelerator program, which aims to give minority coaches networking and development opportunities for future head coaching jobs.

Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and running backs coach Jeff Nixon will be two of the 40 coaches in attendance in Minneapolis on May 21-23. Both were at last year’s meeting as well.

The coaches will attend meetings about leadership and business skills, as well as meet with owners and front office staff from around the league. The idea is that this will make minority coaches more likely to land a head coaching job in the future.

“In the year since its inception, we’ve been encouraged by the positive response to the Accelerator from both club owners and participants,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “We look forward to continuing to build on an incredible program that supports diverse talent.”

McGaughey has been the Giants’ special teams coordinator since 2018 and was an assistant during the team’s Super Bowl XLII win. Nixon is in his first year with the Giants but has been coaching in the NFL for 13 years.

The NFL currently has six minority head coaches to go along with nine minority general managers. The disparity made headlines again this offseason after the Houston Texans fired Lovie Smith and Eric Bieniemy failed to get a head coaching job.

The Giants already have some other potential future head coaches on their staff. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale both interviewed for vacancies earlier in the year, but ultimately returned to New York.