Photo Courtesy of Twitter (@BussinWTB)
Former football player and football executive Arandric Kornell “Ran” Carthon has made history as the first Black general manager in Tennessee Titans’ history and the NFL’s eighth Black general manager.
“I understand I’m standing on the shoulders of giants, and there have been plenty of men that have come before me that have laid this foundation that allowed me to be in this spot,” he said at a news conference.
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The former San Francisco 49ers executive’s new position came right after the 49ers won against the Seattle Seahawks (41 to 23) on Saturday, Jan. 14. The day before was when the Titans interviewed
him. It was between him and another candidate. Following his interview with the Titans, he was told he got the job while at the airport in Nashville.Despite getting the job, Carthon had no intention of making it in history, but he sees it as a way to inspire other Black men.
“It’s paramount in my mind to do the work and be successful to leave the door open for other Black men that are coming behind me because there are a lot of talented young Black men who can do the job,” Carthon said. “They just need the opportunity.”
He continued, “I don’t go out seeking to be the first Black at anything. I just want to be the best me. Very prideful, but I just want to be the best. I don’t care if it’s Black, I don’t care if it’s white, I want to be the best.”
Carthon replaced Jon Robinson, who was terminated on Dec. 6 amid one of Titans’ second-longest losing streaks. At the conference, Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk spoke about how successful Carthon has been, highlighting his achievements as a pro scout for the Atlanta Falcons in 2008 and a director of pro personnel for the Los Angeles Rams in 2012 and 2016.
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“We called as many potential references as we could find to learn more about Ran as a person, talent evaluator and leader,” Strunk explained. “Whether current and former colleagues, the scouting community, the former teammates, the feedback was unanimous. Ran is exceptional.”
The main goal is to build the Titans back up by scouting talented players.