Stephen A. Smith blasts the Giants for making a mockery of the Rooney Rule with Joe Judge hire

The Rooney Rule isn’t working.

The New York Giants made a surprising move on Tuesday as they hired 38-year-old New England Patriots wide receivers coach Joe Judge as the team’s new head coach.

Judge spent much of his time in New England as a special teams assistant and coordinator. He never held a head coaching or offensive coordinator position at any level. Yet, he managed to pull off a meteoric rise to Giants head coach — an opportunity that wasn’t afforded to more qualified minority candidates.

While the NFL’s Rooney Rule requires that teams interview minority candidates during every head-coaching search, there are just three African-American head coaches in the NFL — the same number as when the Rooney Rule was instituted in 2003.

During Tuesday’s edition of First Take on ESPN, Stephen A. Smith reacted to the Giants’ hire by pointing out the franchise’s apparent disregard for minority candidates.

Smith said at the start of the segment:

“I need to be very, very careful about what I have to say. Joe Judge, if you’re watching this show, I’ve never met this man. I’m not questioning the man’s capabilities at all. I know nothing about him. So, I want everyone to understand that my criticism — and it is a criticism — of this choice by the New York Giants, who are regressing before our very eyes as a standard in the National Football League. Here’s the reason I say this. And, again, Mr. Joe Judge, to you and your family, I apologize. These comments are not directed towards him … This is the issue: You’re the New York Giants! It’s the media capital of the world! It’s a franchise that L.T. was once the face of, Phil Simms, even Jeff Hostetler, Bill Parcells! I mean, Michael Strahan! Are you kidding me?!

“And you come to the New York market — the media capital of the world, this bubble — with JOE JUDGE … You’re the wide receivers coach of the New England Patriots. What have we been saying all year? THEY DON’T HAVE ANY. So, that is the position that you’re coming from. I wish him nothing but the best, but the Giants — you’re the New York Giants. And this is what you come with?”

He continued, criticizing the process that led to an under-qualified, 38-year-old white candidate scoring a head-coaching job with the Giants:

“First of all, I think you’re mistaken. Who said they can’t? They didn’t even try. And there’s a difference. And so to me, that speaks to a bigger issue. And the other thing that I’ll speak to, and I’ll say this to all these professional sports team out here just from a generic perspective. You know what? We speak constantly and we preach in our society about going through the proper channels and the proper levels to elevate yourself to another level. And I’m telling you something right now. I am getting sick to my stomach at guys that I see — I’m just going to say it because nobody else, most people won’t.

“This don’t happen for black folk. A wide receivers coach that becomes the head coach. Eric Bieniemy is in Kansas City. Now, he’s the offensive coordinator even though he’s not the play-caller. That would be because the great Andy Reid is the one calling the plays. This guy gets those gratuitous interviews that don’t really amount to anything. I don’t know who they brought in for the Rooney Rule. The Cowboys brought in Marvin Lewis. And by the way because someone had that conversation with somebody about Marvin Lewis. Marvin Lewis coached in this league for 16 years. I know that Marvin Lewis deserves to be a head coach in the National Football League, but there’s something to be said about not winning a playoff game in those 16 years. There are plenty of African Americans in the National Football League, who by the way happen to be coordinators, that deserve a look.”

In a separate segment, Smith called the Rooney Rule “bogus.”

And given Judge’s lack of coaching experience, many agreed with that sentiment.

The Giants have yet to hire a black head coach in their franchise’s history.

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