The NFL has expanded the Rooney rule to give more minority candidates opportunities to become a head coach and reward teams they develop.
More interviews are not equal to renting this off-season.
According to an analysis of candidates who interviewed seven openings for head coaches this month, there were 11 minorities and 16 whites. Only two of the seven posts went to minorities.
Some see this as progress, but most agree that there is still a long way to go.
“There is still work to be done in this area, no question about it,” Pittsburgh Steelers team president Art Rooney II said Thursday.
The Houston Texans appointed David Culley this week, who appointed the 65-year-old assistant in the league’s third black head coach. The New York Jets previously hired Robert Saleh, the son of Lebanese immigrants and the first NFL head coach, known as a Muslim.
Culley and Saleh join Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh, Brian Flores and Miami, Ron Rivera in Washington as the sole coach of the league. In a sport where about 70% of the players are minorities, the lack of diversity is under the head coach.
Rooney said the league would re-examine the rule after his father, Dan Rooney, who was chairman of the NFL’s diversity committee.
“We have not made as much progress in head coaching as we would like,” Rooney said. ‘But I would say that we have made some progress to the general manager, which is encouraging. And then we have to look at the coordinator side to see how much progress we are making on that front.
“There are a lot of pieces that we are going to have to sit down when all this is said and done and really need to analyze what happened, and there are things we can do to strengthen the opportunities for minority coaches. I think last year we did have a number of steps taken that I think will pay dividends over time, but that does not mean that we can no longer do, and we will look at it again during the off-season. ‘
Two of the seven vacancies for general manager were filled by minorities when the Falcons of Atlanta appointed Terry Fontenot and put the Detroit Lions in the spot for Brad Holmes. They join Cleveland’s Andrew Berry and Miami’s Chris Grier as the only black GM in the league.
Perhaps an increase in minority managers will lead to more head coaches for minorities. Ultimately, the owners make the decision and 31 of the 32 are white. They need to be convinced.
“I got this job simply because I was the best football coach they wanted in this situation, and I happened to be African-American,” Culley said Friday. “I’m proud of it. I’m glad of it. And I hope that if I get this job for this reason allow other teams in this league to see it … so be it. I’m part of it and I’m for it.”
In November, the NFL implemented a resolution that rewards organizations with draft choices for developing minority coaches and head office managers who become head coaches, general managers, or team presidents for other clubs.
It was part of a seven-point mobility plan designed to improve opportunities.
Last May, the NFL amended the Rooney rule to stipulate that teams must interview at least two minority candidates who are not tied to their own team. There should also be an interview with one minority candidate for coordinator positions as well as high positions in the front office, including the general manager role.
Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy had six interviews but was passed on again. Coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other Chiefs expressed their disappointment that Bieniemy did not get a chance.
“It’s very shocking that he did not get a job,” said wide receiver Tyreek Hill. “I know he’s going to look inside him in the mirror and say, ‘What can I do better to get the job done?’ “He’s such a dude. He wants to get better and he wants to be a head 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 Duce Staley, who left for Detroit after Nick Sirianni was appointed to replace Doug Pederson. They also interviewed Patriots coach Jerod Mayo, Bowles and Saleh, in a total of ten candidates.
“I was overwhelmed by the quality of these candidates,” said Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. “The NFL lacks slots, not candidates … They will be the best candidates in a year, two or three, no question about that. That’s what we learned in the process.”
The Jets interviewed then-secondary coach Aaron Glenn. 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 coaching ranks.
“A rule or any amendment to a rule that has very little transparency and very little accountability should not surprise any of us if it fails, right?” DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, said this month. ‘I think it’s to the honor of the league that they asked the NFLPA and us to help them improve the diversity in the NFL, not just coaches or head coaches, but also the entire coaching staff, front offices of the NFL. team, the league office and ultimately ownership. These are conversations I know we are going to start with the league after the Super Bowl.
“But for me it has to start with the two things. Without a level of transparency and accountability, none of us should be surprised if there are only incremental steps of change or when we go backwards. There are concrete ways Many of them reflect what people have been doing business in the US for years, but to increase transparency, to give someone the responsibility to increase diversity and then make them accountable, I think if you make these three things the core of how you want the league to look like his membership and his community, I think that’s the only way to work on it. ‘