The NFL has announced that it will mandate that teams interview more minorities for head coaching and coordinator positions, and may still vote to incentivize teams with higher draft picks if they hire minority candidates for coaching vacancies, as reported by the Associated Press.
For now, the Rooney Rule has been amended to require teams to interview at least two minority candidates from outside the organization for head coach openings. Moving forward, at least one minority candidate must be interviewed for a coordinator position, a job in football operations or a general manager opening.
Teams must interview 1 external minority candidate for senior football ops/GM jobs, too. And clubs and the league office must now include minorities and/or female applicants for senior-level positions, including club president. All effective after virtual league meeting tomorrow.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 18, 2020
A proposal that would reward teams with higher draft picks for hiring minorities as head coaches and general managers is expected to be voted upon on Tuesday and will need 24 of 32 votes to pass.
Established in 2003, the Rooney Rule has required teams to interview at least one minority candidate for any head coaching vacancy.
“The Rooney Rule does not force someone or cannot mandate that someone gets hired,” NFL executive VP of Football Operations Troy Vincent told the AP last season. “What it does is mandates that there is a diverse slate of prospects. Many will say it’s not about a number just because of the number of men of color that play, there should be a certain number of head coaches or general managers or (team) presidents.”
Though 70.1 percent of NFL players are non-white, only 12.5 percent of regular-season games in 2019 were coached by people of color. Despite numerous coaching changes this offseason, only the same four minority coaches from last season — Brian Flores (Dolphins), Ron Rivera (Redskins), Anthony Lynn (Chargers) and Mike Tomlin (Steelers) — will be head coaches to start 2020.
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