Given the misleading, inaccurate, and frankly racist rhetoric coming out of Washington lately regarding the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, it’s no surprise that the National Football League’s Rooney Rule has come under scrutiny. The rule is only one part of a series of measures that the league has enacted to try and make certain opportunities for Blacks are not restricted to the playing field.
According to the league’s official language, “The Rooney Rule encourages hiring best practices to foster and provide opportunity to diverse leadership throughout the NFL. It is one part of the NFL’s effort to develop a deep, sustainable talent pool at all levels of the organization. The policy promotes diverse leadership among NFL clubs to ensure that promising candidates have the opportunity to prove they have the necessary skills and qualifications to excel. Through hiring best practices, the Rooney Rule aims to increase the number of minorities hired in head coach, general manager, and executive positions. This diversity enriches the game and creates a more effective, quality organization from top to bottom.”
The rule was initially adopted in 2003, based on recommendations made by the league’s Workplace Diversity Committee, now known as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. It was named after then-chairman of the committee, Dan Rooney, the late owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The committee’s initial focus was on the historically low number of minorities in head coaching positions.
The policy originally required every team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one or more diverse candidates before making a new hire. Following the 2022 Spring League Meeting, the Rooney Rule was expanded to include women as a part of the minority candidate definition and also include the QB coach position. NFL teams are now required to interview at least two minority candidates for vacant head coach, GM, and coordinator positions. One minority candidate is required for the QB coach position. With many prospective head coaches beginning their careers in the QB room, the ruling is expected to help increase the hiring of diverse head coaches in the future.
In 2021, the NFL approved changes requiring every team to interview at least two external minority candidates in person for open head coach and GM positions and at least two external minority candidates—in person or virtual—for a coordinator job. Additionally, at least one minority and/or female candidate must be interviewed for senior-level positions (e.g., club president and senior executives).
In November 2020, team owners approved a proposal rewarding teams who developed minority talent that went on to become GMs or head coaches across the league. If a team lost a minority executive or coach to another team, that team would receive a third-round compensatory pick for two years. If a team lost both a coach and personnel member, it would receive a third-round compensatory pick for three years.
In 2009, the policy was amended to include general manager and primary football executive jobs, requiring each team to interview a minimum of two external minority candidates. In recent years, the DEI Committee has proposed additional changes to strengthen the Rooney Rule, including:
- Clubs must conduct an in-person interview with at least two external diverse—minority and/or female—candidates for any GM or head coaching interview.
- Clubs must interview at least two minorities and/or women for all coordinator positions.
- Clubs must interview at least one diverse candidate for the QB coach position or any senior-level executive position at the club.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that the updates “bolster the current Rooney Rule requirements and are intended to create additional opportunities for diverse candidates to be identified, interviewed, and ultimately hired when a vacancy becomes available.”
The committee also supported new accountability measures to ensure that all teams follow the procedures outlined in the rule. Ironically, not all opposition to the Rooney Rule comes from hardcore right-wing types.
ESPN commentator and former Pittsburgh defensive back Ryan Clark voiced objections to the rule recently, saying it should either be updated or eliminated. On an episode of Inside The NFL on the CW network, Clark said, “NFL teams are entitled to hire who they feel is best for the coaching job, and at head coach, I believe it’s moved beyond color. Now it’s time to create better resume and career-building jobs for minorities to combat nepotism.”
But NFL DEI committee members strongly defend the rule, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell only last week once again strongly supported it.
“We got into diversity efforts because we thought it was the best thing for the National Football League,” Goodell said. “And we’re going to continue those efforts because we’ve not only convinced ourselves, I think we’ve proven ourselves that it does make the NFL better. So, we’re not in this because it’s a trend to get in it or get out of it. Our efforts are fundamental in trying to attract the best possible talent into the National Football League. Both on and off the field.”
That’s the best response to the racists who want to claim DEI somehow restricts or discriminates against whites. The NFL still largely remains a white-dominated league at many non-playing positions.
For instance, unless something changes in the offseason, the league will enter the 2025-26 year with no Black offensive coordinators. That’s a key position, one many teams use to consider head coaching candidates. That’s just one example of how, while the Rooney Rule has certainly made things better than they were, they still have a long way to go before the kind of balance that exists on NFL football fields also exists in its coaching and management positions.
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