Time for the NFL's Rooney Rule to be rescended

Thoughts from the Dark Side

January 7, 2009

Time for the NFL's Rooney Rule to be rescended

13 Comments

By Patrick Patterson

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Willie Brown and Rob Ryan are both assistant coaches for the Raiders. Photo by Patrick A. Patterson/TFDSsports.com

Once again, it is the offseason for the majority of the NFL. Since it is early in the offseason, the coaching carousel is spinning. Coaches have been fired, and teams are looking for replacements. The usual names are flying around as to who is going to go where. However, before a team can hire the coach they are targeting, they have to be sure to interview a "minority" candidate so they don't violate the "Rooney Rule" which results in a fine, lost draft pick, and a tongue lashing from Jesse Jackson.

It was Al Davis and the Raiders that broke the "color barrier" by hiring Art Shell as their head coach in 1989. Since then, there has been a proliferation of black coaches, with some having great success like Tony Dungy with the Indianapolis Colts and others failing miserably. At this point in time, NFL owners want winners. They want the fast turnaround that they saw with Tony Sparano in Miami and Mike Smith in Atlanta.

Earlier this season, the Saint Louis Rams announced that they wanted to drop the interim tag from their interim-head coach Jim Haslett. However, the NFL informed the Rams that they could not do so without first interviewing a minority candidate to fulfill their "Rooney Rule" requirement. The San Francisco 49ers, on the other hand, were able to drop the interim tag off of their interim-head coach Mike Singletary. The only difference is that Haslett is white and Singeltary is black.

Jim Haslett was a head coach of the New Orleans Saints for six seasons and was named the "coach of the year" in 2002. That is a rather impressive resume for taking over a flailing franchise. He also has been the defensive coordinator for the Rams since 2005, so he would give the team continuity whilst adding a fresh spark at the top of the coaching ranks. It would seem to be a no brainer to have him continue as head coach since he has been fulfilling that role for 12 games and the ownership is happy with his performance. However, before they can offer Haslett the job they want him to fill, they have to conduct at least one interview with a candidate that they are not going to be interested in just to go through the motions to fulfill the requirement. This situation is not fair to Haslett as he has to wait out the process before he knows whether or not he has the job, nor is it fair to the franchise which is losing valuable time in preparing for 2009, nor is it fair to the candidate as he has virtually no shot at actually getting the job, as the team has already signaled their desire for Haslett.

The Rams' division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, on the other hand, have been able to hit the gound running despite a similar midseason coach firing. They made their linebackers-assistant head coach Mike Singeltary their interim head coach, despite his never having been a head coach in the NFL. Like Haslett, Singeltary provided continuity by having been a coach on the previous staff. Also like Haslett, the team stated their desire to keep him as their long term head coach. However, unlike Haslett he does not have to wait for the organization to conduct any more interviews, and the franchise is already starting their work to get ready for 09.

In 2007 there was a brief debate over whether or not the Raiders interview of Steve Sarkisian complied with the "Rooney Rule" owing to Sarkisian's Armenian heritage. Apparently according to the NFL Armenian is not a minority, as they did not count Sarkisian as fulfilling the Rooney Rule.

This comparison shows how ridiculous the implementation of the Rooney Rule has become. The idea behind it was a good one, as it was implemented in a time that minority head coaches were quite rare. However, it has outlived its usefulness. It has been shown that it is impossible to legislate ideas. (Except maybe in the case of the rule's namesake Dan Rooney who wanted to promote Ken Wizenhunt to head coach, but the league 'encouraged' him to follow his own rule, and he ended up hiring Mike Tomlin. Wizenhunt went on to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals)

Looking at the issue of race in sports is always a touchy issue. Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder was fired from CBS in 1988 for saying the following:

The black is a better athlete to begin with because he's been bred to be that way -- because of his high thighs and big thighs that goes up into his back, and they can jump higher and run faster because of their bigger thighs. This goes back all the way to the Civil War when during the slave trading, the owner -- the slave owner would breed his big black to his big woman so that he could have a big black kid.

Whether or not his statements were correct, which in and of itself would have to be documented through research, they were perceived as being racist and he was terminated. This shows how race in sports is truly a "third rail."

Once upon a time, it was a truism that a black man could not be a quarterback. That has long since been proven false by guys like Warren Moon and Doug Williams. At this point, that former truism is out the window as quarterbacks are drafted based on arm strength, college stats, and believed potential regardless of the color of their skin.

In the years since Al Davis hired Tom Flores as first Latino head coach and won two Super Bowls. Shell was hired in 89 and led the Raiders into the playoffs on a regular basis. Other black coaches took over with varying success. At the conclusion of the 06 season, any questions about the color of a coach's skin should have been answered when Tony Dungy's Colts beat Lovie Smith's Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl.

As time has passed more black coaches have been making their way through the ranks of assistant coaches, gaining the experience needed to ultimately take the reigns of an entire team. Other coaches like Herman Edwards have established themselves as part of the 'Old Boys Network,' as he was hired by the Kansas City Chiefs soon after he was let go by the New York Jets.

This is not to assert that racism is dead. As long as there are groups of people who are different, there are going to be people with second thoughts based on those differences. There is no way to legislate that out of someone's head. If they believe that way, then they will act upon it despite any rules. However, the NFL has to realize that as time has passed the old stereotypes are continuously being shown as stupid. Despite being fired by the Cleveland Browns, Romeo Crennell would be given a look by other teams even if there was no rule that gave him an in.

It is time to take off the training wheels and let the teams hire the coaches they feel give them the best chance to win without restrictions on interviews. It won't change the ethnic makeup any, as there are qualified candidates of multiple races, and teams want to win. Left to their own devices, teams will pick the candidate they feel is most likely to push their team over the hump, regardless of race, creed, or anything else.

Tags: 49ers, Al Davis, Arizona Cardinals, Art Shell, Bears, Browns, Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, Colts, Dan Rooney, Dough Williams, Herman Edwards, Indianapolis Colts, Jets, Jim Haslett, Kansas City Chiefs, Ken Wizenhunt, Lovie Smith, Mike Singletary, Mike Tomlin, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, NFL, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Raiders, Rams, Rooney Rule, Saints, San Francisco 49ers, St Louis Rams, Steelers, Tom Flores, Tony Dungy, Warren Moon

Discussion

13 Comments on "Time for the NFL's Rooney Rule to be rescended"

Posted by Tmac, January 7, 2009 6:43 AM

I disagree mainly for two reasons. First without the Rooney Rule then Mike Tomlin would still be the DC of the Minnesota Vikings. That deal worked out for the Arizona Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Mike Tomlin. Giving teams more options is better not worse for the league in general.

The second reason is the NCAA. The NCAA obviously doesn't work for the NFL or isn't part of the NFL but it does take pressure from the NFL. It is insane that only 4 of 110 teams in the NCAA have a minority head coach. Having the NFL, which is a private business, have a diversity rule in place and the NCAA, which is mainly public, should eventually put pressure on the NCAA to change it.

Teams shouldn't just pick their guy and not give other people a chance. This helps that.

Posted by C-Mac, January 7, 2009 7:32 AM

First of all. it is easy for your paistey face white ass to say something like that. You have no idea how ignorant you comment is. For years and now black coaches (assistance) have had to take the backseat to their white subordinates when in fact the black coaches behind the scenes have played the most important role in developing these grat players both in the pors and college.

This is another wat of you showing your racist beliefs. If there were not a Rooney Rule. There would simply be no black coaches in the NFL or otherwise

Dummy!

Posted by Ralph Castro, January 7, 2009 12:09 PM

Tmac and C-mac this is what patrick is trying to say simply either make the rooney rule effect everyone, or get rid of it. Why should the minority coach get the job just because he was a minority. Also mike tomlin gaurentee it would have been a head coach later on if the steelers were not forced to interview him. Because great d-cord make good if not great coaches. All this tells me is that the steelers were lucky that tomlin had enough knowledge and ethics to run a football team at this current time.

To Pat
Prejuidice- Is the beliefs that a certain race(or culture) is lower than your own.
Discrimination- Is the act of which you intent to harm a specific race or culture.
Racisim- Is the act and beliefs that a culture is lower than your own.

Just because a "white" person says somthing about a minority rule doesn't make him racist or any thing stated above.

From; Ralph Castro
Nationality; Mexican
And Damn Proud of it.

Posted by SpokaneOakfan, January 7, 2009 12:56 PM

The Rooney rule is silly because it is now just a preliminary step before a team hires their guy anyway. Oakland will talk to James Lofton again, but will pick from their regular pool anyway, just like everyone else does.

The reason why Herm Edwards is on the way out is not because he is black. He sucks as a HC. Romeo Crennel got his shot. He sucks as a HC. Art Shell sucks as a HC. This is not racism. Rod Marinelli got just as fired.

The reason Ty Willingham is out is not his skin color, but his 0-12 record.

You can't legislate diversity. You can try, but all you get is the "token" interview. Or, in some cases, the cream rises to the top, like it always does- Mike Tomlin comes to mind.

Posted by Tmac, January 7, 2009 3:37 PM

The Rooney Rule doesn't give someone a job it gives them a chance at the job.

If you believe there would be as many minority coaches in the NFL without the Rooney Rule then more power to you. I think by now we'd have some but I don't believe many of them like Dungy or Green would have even got a chance.

I say again, look at the NCAA.

Posted by Junior, January 7, 2009 4:44 PM

Tough subject Pat and I think you did a good job handling it. I agree with TMAC that without the Rooney Rule we wouldn't have as many african american coaches as we currently do. But I do think that teams are currently hiring based on merit and not race. If anything I think the Rooney Rule could be a negative for some coaches who only get the interview because of their race, when they are not thought of as a legitimate candidate. In that case I don't think the Rooney Rule accomplishes its goals and may need to be revisited.

My question is how can the Seahawks bypass the Rooney Rule? Holmgren retired and Jim Mora Jr. became the head coach. No interviews needed. I am not aware that Mora Jr. qualifies as a minority but I could be wrong.

Posted by Jon Y, January 7, 2009 5:31 PM

The Rooney Rule gets knocked on a lot, but quite simply: minority coach hiring was a problem before, it isn't now. So it's hard to dispute that the Rooney Rule probably was a big contributor to that.

The reason I think the Rooney Rule is a good rule is not because GMs/owners are too racist to hire a minority coach. But keep in mind that black coaches were getting turned down for assistant coaching jobs in the 80's for no other reason but their skin color.

And so, when you compare a white coach candidate and a black coach candidate, the white candidate has a lot more coaching experience simply because he was getting jobs in the 80's, while the black coach was not given opportunities he deserved.

All the Rooney Rule is asking is that owners/GMs listen to a black coach. Let a black coach plead his case for the job. If the owner/GM doesn't like him, he can hire somebody else. Really not a big deal here.

Posted by Method Man, January 7, 2009 10:27 PM

C-Mac, you seem incredibly smart and all of your points seem well thought out and calculated.
You are definitely not making an a_ss of yourself on this board. [Insert Sarcasm EVERYWHERE]

But in all seriousness, I agree with you Patrick. Enough of this, just let teams interview and hire the people that give them the best chance to win.

Posted by Raider Joseph, January 12, 2009 5:54 AM

Last year there were five Black head coaches in the NFL. Five out of 32, yes a "proliferation". The Rooney Rule appears silly when you "already have your man", but many teams would have already had their man when it comes to Black coaches. Al Davis is one of the only people I can say that really cared more about winning than who was winning. Many coaches are coming to the NFL with very little experience. One last point, as for Singletary - you ask why they can hire Singletary without a reverse "Rooney Rule"? How about this, why don't we give Black coaches 27 out of 32 jobs before we ask that question, huh?

#10

Posted by Dave, January 12, 2009 11:09 PM

I'm sorry. The NFL simply doesn't care about the Rooney Rule. Look at what's happened in Seattle and Indianapolis. They inserted a loophole. They don't care about enforcing the rule - the track record shows it...

http://soundoffwithdave.com/2009/01/13/what-happened-to-the-nfls-rooney-rule/

#11

Posted by Colorado, January 13, 2009 3:46 PM

Did any white guys get a shot at interviewing for the Colt's head coaching position when Dungy retired, or was it just awarded to another black coach just because he is black???

#12

Posted by Colorado, January 13, 2009 3:53 PM

Hey Raider Joseph....in regards to your posting:
Posted by Raider Joseph, January 12, 2009 5:54 AM

"Last year there were five Black head coaches in the NFL. Five out of 32....."

Five out of 32 coaches in the NFL are black....that's a little more than 15%. Blacks make up about the same percentage of Americans in this country: 13.4%. I don't see how there is discrimination against black coaches in the NFL, but there clearly is in college football.

The other question might be why aren't there more Hispanic coaches in the NFL? To me it should come down to talent/ability and experience.

#13

Posted by Jester1, January 13, 2009 4:53 PM

HERE IS THE BOTTOM LINE SINGLETARY WAS HIRED
ASAP WHILE HASSLET WAS NOT BECAUSE OF THE ROONEY RULE. THAT IS PLAIN RACISM I DONT CARE HOW YOU TRY TO JUSTIFY IT. YOU WILL NEVER HAVE RACIAL HARMONY IN THIS WORLD UNTIL STUPID RULES LIKE THIS ARE GONE, THIS RULE DOES NOTHING BUT CAUSE RACIAL DIVIDE. THE COLTS NEW COACH HOW MANY WHITE GUYS DID THEY INTERVIEW ? NONE ) THATS RACISM.
THATS TELLING ME IF YOUR WHITE YOUR NOT GOING TO GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW BECAUSE THE ROONEY RULE SAID THE COLTS DONT HAVE TO INTERVIEW A WHITE GUY WHEN THEY HIRE A BLACK GUY. SO WHY SHOULD IT BE ANY DIFFERENT WITH THE RAMS AND HASLETT ? WHY SHOULD HE HAVE TO WAIT ? ITS RACISM. BECAUSE LIBERALS HAVE FILLED THE MIND THAT BLACK PEOPLE ARE THE POOR VICTIMS OF A RACIST SOCIETY SO THEREFORE WE NEED TO MAKE SPECIAL RULES AND HAVE AL SHARPTON, OLD JESSE JACKSON RUN A MUCK SCREAMING FOR EQUAL RIGHTS INSTED OF GETTING OFF THERE KIESTERS AND WORKING
GETTING OFF WEALFARE AND STOP HAVING 7 FATHERLESS BABIES EVERY YEAR. PEOPLE NEED TO WAKE UP AND REALIZE THAT WE WILL NEVER GET ALONG UNTIL STUPID RULES LIKE THE ROONEY RULE, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ARE GONE. YOU TAKE THIS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OBAMA WAS ELECTED FOR RACE AND RACE ONLY THAT IS SAD. I ASKED BLACK PEOPLE WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT OBAMAS AGENDA THEY SAID I DONT CARE HE IS GOING TO BE THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT THATS PURE RACISM AND BY THE WAY HIS MOTHER WAS WHITE SO HE IS ACTUALLY HALF WHITE /HALF BLACK ENOUGH SAID....