The decision was not about black or white. It was not about race. It was about competency and success.
Jesse Jackson's People United to Save Humanity Coalition, whose intention it is to investigate the firing of Ray Rhodes as the coach of the Green Bay Packers, is simply out of bounds on this one.
Winning is the only thing in the world of professional football. Young men are paid millions of dollars to succeed. They are coached by men who are also paid millions to teach and guide.
When a team doesn't win, as was the case with the Rhodes-led Packers of 1999, changes are made, scapegoats are singled out, and people are hurt.
What Jackson and Charles Farrell, the point man with PUSH's Rainbow Sports, must realize is that Rhodes wasn't held up to any different standards than any other Green Bay Packer coach should be.
Jesse and Charles, please do your homework. You must know the truth. Ray Rhodes was fired because he and his staff had lost control of the football team - they let down an organization and its fans. In short, they didn't do their job.
For too many years the Packer organization was a loser and destined to become a folded franchise.
For too many years coaches who had no control over their players and little skill in the art of player management roamed the Green Bay sidelines. The organization became a sleeping giant awaiting arousal.
General manager Ron Wolf sounded the wake-up call in 1991 when he fired Lindy Infante and hired Mike Holmgren - a decision that struck a raw chord among the many fans who loved Lindy.
But it was the only decision Ron Wolf could have made to save the struggling team.
His decision to fire Ray Rhodes came about for the same reasons. Wolf saw a team falling apart at the seams and acted in the only way he knew how.
While his decision may have lessened the number of African Americans coaching professional football teams, he wasn't considering its political implications. That is not his job.
Rightly so, Wolf's actions guard the team's best interests and make sure those interests were met.
Jackson and Farrell must respect Wolf's decision, but understandably must also ask their questions.
What Wolf will describe when the Packers talk with the coalition leaders later this week is a team in disarray - a team without character, focus, and leadership.
He will describe a team with player fights in the locker room, a team with little drive and motivation, and a team that showed little on the field.
Rhodes' laid back attitude worked fine for the veterans, but for a team with so many rookies and first-year members, it was disastrous.
The team underachieved, showed little attention to the fundamentals, and alienated the devoted fan base with an incredible lack of fire and desire.
If ever there was a poor time to perform badly, it was this season. The team has been seeking public approval for state funding of a renovation to Lambeau Field or a new stadium.
Try asking someone for a donation to your favorite charity after you've punched them in the nose.
Any coach who lands in Green Bay must meet high expectations - Wolf's expectations. For too many years the team and their fans have endured poor coaches. Wolf won't let that happen again and has owned up to his poor choice of Rhodes. He will not allow the team to go back to the days of Bart Starr, Forrest Gregg and Lindy Infante.
For that reason alone, Ray Rhodes was fired. And it is for that reason the next head coach will be hired, whether he be Black or White.
Our hope is that PUSH understands that.