Ex-ESPN star Jemele Hill brings race into Kevin Stefanski Falcons hiring situation

Former ESPN star Jemele Hill sparred with NFL fans after her posts on the Atlanta Falcons hiring Kevin Stefanski as head coach after he spent time at the helm with the Cleveland Browns.

Stefanski was hired to replace Raheem Morris, who only lasted two seasons as the team’s head coach. Morris was previously the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams and Falcons. He also had a stint as head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Jemele Hill speaks  onstage during 56th NAACP Image Awards Benefit Concert at Pasadena Convention Center on Feb. 22, 2025 in Pasadena, California.  (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Hill claimed on social media that Falcons fans were “side eyeing” the Stefanski hire because of the way he handled the Shedeur Sanders situation and because Atlanta is a “Black city.”

“(Former NFL wide receiver) Harry Douglas was absolutely right,” she wrote on X on Friday. “None of the Falcons fans I know like the Stefanski hire. He had a losing record in Cleveland and they didn’t like how he handled the Shedeur Sanders situation. They LOVE Deion in the ATL. It’s a Black city, with one of the Blackest fan bases in the NFL, and they have a Black QB on their roster — so a lot of ATL fans are side-eyeing this hire. Stefanski isn’t going to get a honeymoon there.”

Hill clarified her comment about the Stefanski hire further.

“Because some of you misunderstood: ATL fans I know aren’t saying Deion should be the coach over Stefanski. They are saying they don’t trust Stefanski because they don’t like how he treated Shedeur. They loved Deion. They love Shedeur by extension,” she added.

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski looks on before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Huntington Bank Field on Dec. 7, 2025. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)

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Hill added that “people feel this way” and that, in her opinion, Falcons fans should give Stefanski an opportunity to prove himself.

“But the reaction to the hire is mixed at best because of the reasons I stated,” she wrote.

Hill’s assessment faced backlash on X.

The Falcons have largely underachieved with a young corps on offense and in a weaker division since Tom Brady retired from the NFL.

Jemele Hill speaks  onstage during 56th NAACP Image Awards Benefit Concert at Pasadena Convention Center on Feb. 22, 2025 in Pasadena, California.  (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

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Stefanski was able to get a lot out of the Browns organization, ending the franchise’s playoff win drought in 2020. He’s a two-time Coach of the Year and 45-56 overall.

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