The so-called Rooney rule requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching jobs. The rule, named for former Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, was implemented in 2003 to ensure that minority coaches, especially African Americans, would be considered for these roles. While the number of minority head coaches grew in the NFL as a result, the rule has come under fire recently, as the league went from eight nonwhite head coaches in 2019 to just three in the very next season. Since teams only have to interview one minority candidate, they can essentially just fulfill that requirement and not bat an eye at it again.
A graphic on first time minority coaching hires from 1997-2016.
The situation has gotten so bad that league Commissioner Roger Goodell has vowed to make changes to the Rooney Rule this upcoming offseason. Although he didn't get into specifics, Goodell stated that there are meetings scheduled on how to improve upon the rule. However, former NFL player and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said that the mindsets of the owners need to change more than the rule, and that there should be more focus on them instead. In an interview, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman repeated that same sentiment, calling on the media to do a better job when he was asked a question on the Rooney Rule.
"I put more of the responsibility on you, on the media, because you're asking people who have no say." Sherman elaborated and said that the players don't get a voice in personnel decisions when compared to the owners, and states that the media avoids asking them tough questions to prevent them from getting on their bad side. "Everyone feels comfortable asking a player a hard question about 'man, why aren't these black coaches getting jobs?' ask the dudes who have all the power in the world to hire and fire these men. But you don't get the answers. Or maybe we're not looking for the answers from those dudes because we kind of know what they are."
There are multiple layers to these statements by Sherman, which are mostly understandable. Through about a month of coaching searches, there were many quotes on the Rooney Rule and the hiring of minority coaches, but nothing of note came from the league owners. This group of mostly old men ultimately get the vote on which rules to implement, so there should be at least a spokesperson who speaks on the owners' behalf. However, the situation will not likely be remedied just by asking league owners on how they view the Rooney Rule, and there's a fair chance that asking these questions don't result in anything different. That goes without saying that reporters should still go and ask the owners on what needs to be done to improve the diversity and hiring problem in the NFL.
At the same time, Richard Sherman looks like he's discounting his own power as a player. He stated that he has no say in who gets hired or fired, and while there is truth to that, there is still great power that he especially holds. Sherman is in the second of a three year deal that's worth $27 million, and having just been elected to his fifth Pro Bowl, his voice definitely holds more weight than the average player. A lot of players can band together on resolving the Rooney Rule, and it's likely the players could have more influence on than the media. As mentioned before, the NFL's CBA is expiring in a year, and the players could use the Rooney Rule as a bargaining chip in favor of both players and owners, even if the latter doesn't see it.
Louis Riddick and Richard Sherman are both correct that when discussing diversity in coaching hires, the owners need more attention. There is also an incredible amount of power that both players and media have on shaping this discussion, and both should act on it if this problem is to be resolved.
https://twitter.com/JDJohnDickinson/status/1222858085385035776
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/01/07/the-rooney-rule-still-isnt-working/
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28593376/roger-goodell-says-nfl-needs-changes-rooney-rule
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