The NFL’s Rooney Rule could possibly be undergoing some changes. The league is wanting to reward teams who hire minority general manager and coaching candidates.
Here’s how the league is proposing to change the Rooney Rule, which mandates teams must interview minority candidates for top positions:
If a team hires a minority head coach, that team, in the draft preceding the coach’s second season, would move up six spots from where it is slotted to pick in the third round. A team would jump 10 spots under the same scenario for hiring a person of color as its primary football executive, a position more commonly known as general manager.
If a team were to fill both positions with diverse candidates in the same year, that club could jump 16 spots — six for the coach, 10 for the GM — and potentially move from the top of the third round to the middle of the second round. Another incentive: a team’s fourth-round pick would climb five spots in the draft preceding the coach’s or GM’s third year if he is still with the team.
The proposed rule addition raised eyebrows, including Chargers coach Anthony Lynn’s. Lynn is one of three African American coaches in the NFL. He was plain-spoken when talking about the change.
“I think sometimes you can do the wrong thing while trying to do the right thing,” Lynn said on CBS Sports Radio.
Lynn has a valid point, as this could make many believe that hires are only made because draft compensation comes along with it.
There are plenty of qualified minority head coaching candidates out there. The league should not need to belittle their hiring by awarding teams for abiding by the new rule.
Lynn concurs.
“I think that there are a lot of qualified African-American coaches that could be a head coach in this league, and I just pray that we do our due diligence and give these guys an opportunity,” Lynn said.
“There are some qualified applicants and they need an opportunity, and I think this is — out of desperation this is something that has been thrown out there.”
The proposal would require 24 of 32 votes to pass. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, commissioner Roger Goodell is among those who are in favor of the plan.