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Former ESPN star Jemele Hill sparred with NFL fans following her tenure with the Atlanta Falcons, where she hired Kevin Stefanski as head coach after he spent time at the helm of the Cleveland Browns.
Stefanski was hired to replace Raheem Morris, who lasted only 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 on stage during the 56th NAACP Image Awards Benefit Concert at the Pasadena Convention Center on February 22, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Hill claimed on social media that Falcons fans “looked sideways” at 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 town, with one of the blackest fanbases in the NFL, and they have a black QB on their roster – so many of the Stefanski fans who hire the ATL are up for it. Honeymoon there.”
Hill further clarified his comment about the Stefanski hiring.
“Because some of you misunderstood: ATL fans I know aren’t saying Deion should be the coach over Stefanski. They’re 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 that way” and that she thinks Falcons fans should give Stefanski an opportunity to prove himself.
“However, the reaction to the hiring is mixed at best for the reasons I stated,” she wrote.
Hill’s rating bounced back at X.
The Falcons have largely underperformed with a young corps on offense and in a weaker division since Tom Brady retired from the NFL.
Jemele Hill speaks on stage during the 56th NAACP Image Awards Benefit Concert at the Pasadena Convention Center on February 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 drought in 2020. He is a two-time Coach of the Year and 45-56 overall.
