Houston Texans GM After Firing Lovie Smith: 'It's Not About Race, It's About Finding A Quality Coach'

Several ESPN personalities accused the Houston Texans of racism for firing head coach Lovie Smith after one season. That dismissal came on the heels of David Culley being fired after his lone season in Houston.

First, there was Robert Griffin III tweeting his criticisms of the Texans. Then, Stephen A. Smith went on ESPN's First Take and said black coaches should decline the Houston Texans job if offered.

Later, some guy named David Dennis, Jr. appeared on Around The Horn and stumbled his way through accusing the Texans of mistreating black coaches. He was so proud of his take that he posted it on his on social media feed.

Texans GM Nick Caserio addresses media

The Houston Texans held a press conference on Monday to discuss the firing of Smith and the process of hiring their next coach.

Texans Chair and CEO Cal McNair gave a brief statement before turning the podium over to GM Nick Caserio. Caserio gave a short statement, as well, before taking questions.

Of course, someone in the media had to ask the "obligatory" question.

Texans GM Nick Caserio. (Photo via Getty Images)

Reporter: "Why should any black coach that you're going to interview feel that they can trust that you will put your full faith in trusting their plan that they could be the long-term answer since you fired two black coaches after one year?"

Texans GM Nick Caserio: "I think each individual is going to have to make that choice. In the end, it's not about race, it's about finding quality coaches ... All I can do is be honest and forthright, which I've done from the day that I took this job. And I'm going to continue to do that and try to find the coach that makes the most sense for this organization."

Another issue being made about race that doesn't need to be about race

Shortly after that question, another media member asked the more appropriate question. What do you say to ALL coaches who are worried about a lack of stability in Houston?

See, that's the issue here. The Texans have fired two head coaches after one season each. The color of their skin is irrelevant. If I were interviewing for the job, I wouldn't care about the race of the two guys who were fired -- I want to know why the team can't seem to find a long-term answer.

Caserio didn't have a very good answer to the question, either.

"When we get into these interviews, the only way to handle things is to be honest and open and respect their position ... There's going to have to be an open dialogue, you have to open communication. Quite frankly, there's going to be some tough conversations that we may need to have."

Full press conference is below, the questions above occur at the 15:00 and 17:30 marks, respectively.

What's next?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Houston's hiring practices are going to be under an intense spotlight. Can they put that aside and actually just pick the best coach, regardless of the media pushing a racial narrative?

That's what they should do. That's the "right thing" to do.