You know who supported “DEI” (diversity, equity, and inclusion) long before it was ever an acronym? Vince Lombardi. The football legend famously created a “prejudice-free culture” in Green Bay. When Lombardi took over the Packers, they had one black player. He immediately added 12 more and hired Emlen Tunnell — the first Black assistant coach in the NFL.

Lombardi wouldn’t let his players frequent any restaurant, bar, or hotel that denied any services to Black people and famously blessed the interracial marriage of defensive lineman Lionel Aldridge and his wife Vicky. And he was one of the first coaches in the NFL to offer opportunities to Black players — who had previously been sent to the startup AFL.