By Ronald N. Guy Jr.
In 2003 the NFL, in an effort to promote greater (or any
semblance of) diversity in its head coaching ranks, adopted the Rooney
Rule. The rule, named after Pittsburgh
Steelers owner Dan Rooney, required NFL teams to interview at least one
minority candidate before filling a head coaching vacancy. Prior to its inception, there had never been
more than three standing minority head coaches; since 2005 there haven’t been
less than 6. That is undeniable
progress. Is it all because of the
Rooney Rule? Maybe not, but it also
probably wouldn’t happened without it.
The bottom line is, the Rooney Rule has worked.
Still, despite these accomplishments, I’m going to quibble a
bit with success. I acknowledge NFL
teams are, save for the Green Bay Packers, privately owned entities that
should, to some extent, retain the right to hire and fire as they choose. But is that free reign over human resources,
in a sport with such social significance, also carte blanche authority to
conduct a non-competitive hiring process?
(File that question for moment.)
The fact of the matter is the NFL has lagged woefully behind
professional baseball and basketball in minority head coaching
opportunities. It is a non-story when a
MLB or NBA team hires a minority head coach.
Yet, when two African American coaches meet in the Superbowl – as they
did when Indianapolis defeated Chicago in Superbowl XLI – it’s the lead story. By comparison, I vividly remember Boston
Celtics, led by head coach K.C. Jones, beating the “Showtime“ Lakers in the NBA
Finals. What I don’t remember is Jones’
race (African American) being a big issue.
The significance of that comparison is Superbowl XLI was played in
February 2007 while Jones’ Celtics beat the Lakers in the 1986 NBA Finals. Think about that: lead issue in 2007 (NFL)
vs. footnote in 1986 (NBA). To further
illustrate the NFL’s sluggish evolution, look at our local teams. The Skins, since arriving in D.C. in 1937,
have had 1 minority head coach – Terry Robiskie – and it was on an interim
basis. Conversely, the Nationals and
Wizards combined have had 7 minority head coaches since 2000.
With this deficient resume, you’d think the NFL would be
serious about its commitment to the Rooney Rule. Yet if this off-season’s coaching fills in Washington and Seattle
are any indication, the NFL is more interested in satisfying the letter of the
Rooney Rule than it is truly embracing its spirit. At season’s end, the Skins and Seahawks radar-locked on and
swiftly hired Mike Shanahan and Pete Carroll - two well qualified, deserving
candidates. To clear a path through the
Rooney Rule so they could hire the objects of their affection, the Skins
interviewed then defensive assistant Jerry Gray and Seattle interviewed Vikings
defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.
At each team’s request, the NFL reviewed and determined that the
obligatory interviews with Gray and Frazer were good enough to check the Rooney
Rule block. They shouldn’t have
been. Yes, teams should ultimately be
able to select the best candidate. But
were Shanahan and Carroll the best? We
don’t really know since neither was selected as part of a deliberative
process. What we do know is the
exclusive process of both teams yielded coaches that, ethnically, are a heck of
a lot like the large majority of other NFL coaches. By securing some minimal compliance with the Rooney Rule,
Washington and Seattle missed an opportunity, and in my opinion skirted their
responsibility, to promote diversity among NFL coaches. Historically though, when it comes to equal
opportunity, we’ve come to expect more than the bare minimum from the world of
sports.
To answer the question I asked earlier, NFL teams should not
be able to hire a head coach through a blatantly non-competitive process; and
without question, neither Gray nor Frazier had any chance of being hired. The NFL simply has not demonstrated an
ability, on its own accord, to achieve any acceptable level of diversity within
its head coaching ranks. The NFL would
likely dispute that; but I’d then ask why they needed a Rooney Rule in the
first place.
No comments:
Post a Comment