The NFL extended the Rooney Rule to give more minority candidates opportunities to become head coaches and reward teams that develop them.
More interviews didn’t mean more hiring this off-season.
According to an analysis of candidates known to have been interviewed this month for seven major training openings, 11 were minorities and 16 were white. Only two of the seven jobs were for minorities.
Some see it as progress, but most agree that there is a long way to go.
“There is still work to be done in this area, there is no doubt about it,” Pittsburgh Steelers team president Art Rooney II said Thursday.
The Houston Texans hired David Culley this week, making the league’s third black coach the 65-year-old longtime assistant. The New York Jets previously hired Robert Saleh, the son of Lebanese immigrants and the first NFL coach known to be a Muslim.
Culley and Saleh join Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, Miami’s Brian Flores and Washington’s Ron Rivera as the league’s only head coaches. In a sport where approximately 70% of the players are minorities, the lack of diversity among the ranks of the coaches is highlighted.
Rooney said the league will take another look at the rule that bears the name of his father, Dan Rooney, who was chairman of the NFL diversity committee.
“We haven’t advanced as much as we would have liked in the coaching field,” Rooney said. “But I would say we have made some progress in terms of the CEO, which is encouraging. And then we will have to look to the side of the coordinator to see the progress we are making on this front.
“There are a lot of pieces that we will have to sit through when all is said and really analyze what happened, and there are things we can do to strengthen the opportunities for minority coaches. I think last year we took a series of steps that I think over time they will pay dividends, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do more, and we will analyze it strongly this low season. “
Two of the seven general manager vacancies were filled by minorities when the Atlanta Falcons hired Terry Fontenot and the Detroit Lions signed Brad Holmes. They join Andrew Berry of Cleveland and Chris Grier of Miami as the only black GMs in the league.
Perhaps an increase in minority executives will lead to more minority coaches being trained. Ultimately, the owners are the ones making the decision and 31 of the 32 are white. They have to be convinced.
“I got this job simply because he was the best football coach they wanted in this situation, and I happen to be African American,” Culley said Friday. “I’m proud of that. I’m happy about that. And I hope that if I get this job for that reason I can see that to other teams in this league … so be it. I’m part of it. I’m for that.”
In November, the NFL implemented a resolution that rewards organizations with selection proposals for the development of minority coaches and front office executives who become head coaches, general managers, or team presidents of other clubs.
This was part of a seven-point mobility plan designed to improve opportunities.
Last May, the NFL amended the Rooney Rule to state that teams should interview at least two minority candidates who were not associated with their own team for a head coach vacancy. In addition, a minority candidate should be interviewed for coordinator positions, as well as for senior positions in the main office, including that of general manager.
Eric Bieniemy, coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs offensive, had six interviews, but it happened again. Coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other bosses expressed disappointment that Bieniemy had no chance.
“It’s very shocking that he didn’t get a job,” Tyreek Hill said. “I know, deep down, he’ll look in the mirror and say,‘ What can I do best to get this job done? “He’s that kind of man. He wants to improve and he wants to become a coach. His time will come.”
The list of black candidates interviewed for head coaching positions included five guys who previously held the position: Marvin Lewis, Jim Caldwell, Todd Bowles, Leslie Frazier, and Raheem Morris.
The Eagles interviewed their assistant head coach / race coach Duce Staley, who left for Detroit after Nick Sirianni was hired to replace Doug Pederson. They also interviewed Patriots coaches Jerod Mayo, Bowles and Saleh, among a total of 10 candidates.
“I was impressed with the quality of these candidates,” said Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. “The NFL lacks spaces, not candidates. … They will be the hot candidates in a year, two or three, no doubt. That’s what we’ve learned in the process.”
The Jets interviewed Aaron Glenn, then coach of the then Saints. He later joined Dan Campbell’s staff in Detroit.
Many players and their union leader have expressed concern about the lack of diversity in the technical ranks.
“A rule or any modification of a rule that has very little transparency and very little accountability, none of us should be surprised when it fails, right?” NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith said this month. “So I think they’ve asked the NFLPA and us to help them improve the diversity of the NFL, not just coaches or head coaches, but ranks of entire coaches, NFL team offices, the league office and ultimately the property.These are conversations I know we will start having with the league after the Super Bowl.
“But for me, it has to start with these two things. Without a level of transparency and accountability, none of us should be surprised when there are only incremental steps of change or times when we have stepped back. There are concrete ways Many of them reflect what people have been doing in corporate America for years, but by increasing transparency, giving someone the responsibility to increase diversity, and then being accountable, I think if you have these three things as at the core of how you want the league to look like your membership and your community, I think those are the only ways to get it. “