The NFL has expanded the Rooney Rule to give more minority candidates opportunities to become head coaches and reward the teams that develop them.
More interviews did not equate to more hiring this off-season.
According to an analysis of candidates known to have interviewed for seven coaching openings this month, 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.
“I’m still working in this area, no doubt,” Pittsburgh Steelers team president Art Rooney II said Thursday.
The Houston Texans hired David Culley this week, making the 65-year-old assistant the third black head coach in the league. The New York Jets previously hired Robert Saleh, the son of Lebanese immigrants and the first NFL head 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 about 70% of players are in the minority, there is a lack of diversity among head coaches.
Rooney said the league will take another look at the rule named after his father, Dan Rooney, who was chairman of the NFL’s diversity committee.
“We haven’t made as much progress on the head coach’s side as we would have liked,” Rooney said. “But I would say that we have made some progress in terms of the CEO, which is encouraging. And then we will have to look at the coordinator to see how much progress we are making on this front.
“There are a lot of things we will have to put in when everything is said and done 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 will pay dividends over time, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do more and look at this carefully this season. “
Two of the seven general manager vacancies were filled by minorities when the Atlanta Falcons hired Terry Fontenot and the Detroit Lions hired Brad Holmes. He joins Andrew Berry of Cleveland and Chris Grier of Miami as the only black GMs in the league.
Perhaps an increase in the number of directors of minorities will lead to an increase in the number of coaches. In the end, the owners are the ones who make the decision, and 31 out of 32 are white. They have to be convinced.
“I got this job simply because I 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 glad for that. And I hope that if I get this job for that reason, I’ll let the other teams in this league see that … so be it. I’m part of it and I’m for it. . “
In November, the NFL implemented a resolution that rewards organizations with selection projects for the development of minority coaches and office managers who become head coaches, general managers, or team leaders for other clubs.
It was part of a seven-point mobility plan designed to increase opportunities.
In May, the NFL amended the Rooney Rule to provide that teams must interview at least two minority candidates who are not associated with their own team for a head coaching vacancy. A minority candidate must also be interviewed for the role of coordinator, as well as for senior positions in the front office, including the role of Director-General.
Eric Bieniemy, the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, had six interviews, but was passed again. Coach Andy Reid, defender Patrick Mahomes and other bosses expressed disappointment that Bieniemy did not have the opportunity.
“It’s very shocking that he didn’t get a job,” said wide receiver Tyreek Hill. “I know deep down that he will look at himself in the mirror and say, ‘What can I do better to get that job?’ “He’s that kind of guy. He wants to improve and he wants to become the head coach. His time is coming. “
The list of black candidates interviewed for head coach positions included five guys who previously held this position: Marvin Lewis, Jim Caldwell, Todd Bowles, Leslie Frazier and Raheem Morris.
The Eagles interviewed Duke Staley, who left for Detroit after Nick Sirianni was hired to replace Doug Pederson. They also interviewed Patriots backback coach Jerod Mayo, Bowles and Saleh, among a total of 10 candidates.
“I was amazed at the quality of these candidates,” said Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. “The NFL lacks slots, not candidates … They will be hot candidates in a year, two or three, no doubt. That’s what we learned in the process.”
The Jets interviewed then-Saints head coach Aaron Glenn. He later joined Dan Campbell’s Detroit team.
Many players and their union leader have expressed concern about the lack of diversity among coaches.
“A rule or any changes to 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 the league has asked the NFLPA and us to help them improve diversity in the NFL, not just coaches or head coaches, but entire coaching ranks, the NFL team offices, the league office and, ultimately, the property. There are conversations I know we’re going to 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 gone backwards. There are concrete ways. Many of them reflect what people have been doing in corporate America for years. But increasing transparency, giving someone the responsibility to increase diversity and then accountability, I think if you have these three things as the basis of how you want to make the league look like its members and community, I think these are the only ways to do that. this thing. “