Tampa, Florida - Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tom Bowles is no fan of discussions about Black representation in the NFL's coaching ranks.

On Sunday, Bowles will face Mike Tomlin's Pittsburgh Steelers in one of the few NFL matchups to feature two Black coaches.

Asked what this meant for minorities aspiring to be coaches, he responded: "Well, when you say, 'They see you guys,' and 'look like them and grew up like them,' it means that we're oddballs to begin with."

He added: "I think the minute you guys stop making a big deal about it, everybody else will as well."

Bowles continued to downplay the importance of the occasion and called out the media for making race a big deal that they continue to highlight in the sport.

"I have a very good relationship with Tomlin,' Bowles said leading up to Tomlin's meeting. 'We don't look at what color we are when we coach against each other, we just know each other."

In recent times, the NFL has been heavily criticized due to the lack of diversity in its coaching ranks, even as a majority of its players are Black.

The coaching landscape still looks skewed, with only seven coaches of color, four being Black.

Earlier this week, Steve Wilks became the fourth active Black head coach in the league after the North Carolina Panthers fired Matt Rhule. He joins Bowles, Tomlin, and Lovie Smith of the Houston Texans.

To combat this issue, the league announced in March that all teams must hire a minority offensive assistant coach starting from the 2022-23 season.

Bowles’ Buccaneers Sunday showdown against the Steelers is set for 1:00 PM EST.