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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is one of four minority head coaches in the NFL currently. But this could change rapidly. The NFL has passed new standards regarding the Rooney Rule and could take things even further, including improving draft status for teams who hire minorities in top positions on the coaching staff and front office.
This is an idea Tomlin is very much in favor of. He spoke on the “Coffee with Cal” show and said he would love to see the NFL incentivize the hiring of minority candidates.
“We’ve always taken it from the approach of, punitive if you don’t interview minority candidates or things of that nature,” said Tomlin. “I just like the different approach in terms of spinning it 180 and talking about maybe incentivizing those that develop the talent and those that hire the talent.”
This is a radical concept and one the NFL isn’t quite ready to embrace. They have tabled it for now and all things considered it probably isn’t something the league wants to launch in the midst of everything else going on in the world.
The Rooney Rule has opened the door for many minority candidates but many believe the system is still broken. That is a debate for another day but it is certainly worth nothing one of the coaches who benefited most from the Rooney Rule wants to see it expanded to allow more coaches the opportunity he had.
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