Rooney Rule is about the illusion of fairness

Do you ever have those topics where you have an opinion but never discuss at length
until there is a time-sensitive story?

Insert the Rooney Rule, which was implemented in 2003. The rule is an NFL policy
that requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football
operation jobs. It is sometimes cited as an example of affirmative action, though there is
no quota or preference given to minorities in the hiring of candidates. Variations of the rule
are now in place in other industries. The rule is named after former Pittsburgh Steelers
owner Dan Rooney, who was the chairman of the league’s diversity committee.

The rule became a heavy topic of conversation this past week after the Oakland Raiders
hired Jon Gruden as head coach to replace Jack Del Rio, who was fired after the team’s
season finale. Gruden coach from 1998-2001 with the Raiders before being traded to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he coached from 2002-2008. Gruden was an ESPN
commentator from 2009 until this past season.

The Fritz Pollard Alliance, however, believed the Raiders did not comply with the Rooney
Rule and requested the NFL investigate whether the team interviewed minority candidates
before reaching an agreement with Gruden. The FPA works to promote diversity and equal
job opportunity in the realms of coaching, front office and scouting staffs. The NFL
announced on Friday that it reviewed the hiring of Gruden and deemed that the Raiders
complied with the Rooney Rule.

Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie interviewed two minority candidates, Bobby
Johnson and Tee Martin. The former was Oakland’s tight ends coach on Del Rio’s staff.
The latter is USC’s offensive coordinator. Perhaps the skepticism stemmed from Gruden’s
introductory press conference when Raiders owner Mark Davis indicated he met with
Gruden on Christmas Eve in Philadelphia and felt pretty confident he was “all in” after
the meeting. Gruden was broadcasting the Christmas Night game between the Eagles and
Raiders for ESPN. Despite the Raiders having interviewed Johnson and Martin, the FPA
continues to disagree with the NFL’s ruling. Had the NFL deemed the Raiders were not in
compliance with the Rooney Rule, the organization would have incurred a fine.

There are a couple things that come to mind:

The Raiders history with minorities

Former Raiders owner Al Davis, who is the father of the aforementioned Mark, was
known as a maverick. The elder Davis died in 2011.

The Raiders were hiring minority coaches long before the Rooney Rule was on anyone’s
radar. Tom Flores, who was the Raiders head coach from 1979-1987, was the first minority
coach to lead his team to the Super Bowl title. Flores, who is Mexican, accomplished that
feat twice (1980 and 1983). Art Shell, who was a Raiders Hall of Fame offensive tackle,
became the second black coach in the history of professional football but the first of the
modern era. The aforementioned Pollard, who was black, served as a player-coach for
the Hammond (Ind.) Pros from 1923-1925. Shell had two coaching stints with the
Raiders, 1989-1994 and 2006.

Davis also hired Amy Trask to be the Raiders’ CEO, which was a role she served from
1997-2013. More recently, McKenzie, who is black, was hired as the general manager in 2012.

The illusion of fairness

Though the rule appears well-intentioned, it has created unintended issues. For openers, I
think most every reasonable person is in favor of everyone regardless of gender, race, creed,
etc. having the same opportunity for a job. I hesitate to use the term “best qualified” because
such a term means different things to different people, thus it involves much subjectivity.

We have graduated past the point to where a team hiring a minority coach is news, which is
a good thing. I remember when the Raiders hiring Shell was considered a major
groundbreaking.

Those in favor of the Rooney Rule would argue that if there was no such rule, minority
coaches like Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin might have never gotten an interview. I don’t agree
with that argument. If you are a viable candidate, teams will find you. Plus, since hiring a
minority is more mainstream, teams are less reluctant to go that direction thus de-emphasizing
the Rooney Rule.

The cynics of the Rooney Rule point to many scenarios where the minority candidate is a token
interview just so the organization can say it went through the motions before hiring its desired
candidate. The rule only states that a team must interview a minority candidate, it does not
measure the likelihood of said candidate being hired. Which begs the question for the minority
candidate to ask, “Are you interviewing me as a coaching candidate or are you interviewing me
as a minority coaching candidate?”

The minority candidate is not stupid. They know when the are being played like a fiddle.
Problems with this rule were apparent when it was established in 2003. The Detroit Lions had
minority candidates, including an experienced one in Dennis Green turn down opportunities
for an interview because it was generally assumed the franchise would hire Steve Mariucci,
who was the San Francisco 49ers coach from 1997-2002 and a native Michigander. The Lions
ultimately hired Mariucci.

On one hand, I think the token minority interview has run its course. However, the reality is
that the rule is here to stay until further notice. I’m not saying it’s right, it’s just reality. Be
that as it may, if a minority candidate is a coordinator looking for his first head coaching job,
it behooves him to interview even if it is received he has little chance at getting the job. After
all, there are 32 teams in the NFL. Ownership is like a fraternity in that they talk amongst
themselves. Perhaps, the minority candidate is not the best for for the job he interviewed
but if he presents himself well enough, he can draw a good recommendation for another job.

Most of all, I think the Rooney Rule needs to be redefined. Is it meant to be fair to minority
candidates or is it a career networking mechanism? The same people that want the rule in
place because of perceived fairness are also the same ones that say, “the Raiders brought in
Johnson and Martin but they had no intention of hiring anyone other than Gruden so let’s
just be honest about it.”

That idea is known as talking out both sides of your mouth. You can’t have it both ways.