'Rooney Rule Compliant' Phrasing Underscores Flaws In NFL's Minority Interview Policy | Bobby Burack

The Rooney Rule dictates that NFL teams must interview at least one minority candidate before hiring a full-time head coach.

The policy is flawed. This week further underscored why.

On Thursday, NFL insiders faced criticism from reporters for tweeting that the Los Angeles Chargers are "Rooney Rule compliant" after interviewing David Shaw, a black candidate.

"Chargers completed an interview with David Shaw for their head coaching job. They’re now in compliance with the Rooney Rule," said Adam Schefter.

"With Leslie Frazier and David Shaw having interviewed in-person the Chargers are now Rooney Rule compliant," posted Albert Breer.

Breer apologized for his tweet, calling it "sloppy and insensitive."

Breer caved to the mob. Schefter likely will, as well. It's easier to apologize than face the wrath of angry reporters calling you a mouthpiece for white owners.

That said, their reports were neither "sloppy" nor "insensitive." Their reports were newsworthy, and thus worth providing.

The Chargers want to hire Jim Harbaugh as head coach, per multiple reports. However, the team cannot sign him to a contract until they interview at least one non-white candidate.

Hiring a coach is a process. Interviewing a minority candidate is one of the first steps a team must complete.

Therefore, the Chargers needed to complete the Rooney step in order to move forward in conversations with Harbaugh.

Breer and Schefter simply provided fans with an update on the process.

The phrase "Rooney Rule compliant" is no different than the phrase "salary cap compliant," which reporters use following a football transaction.

Now, we understand how the phrasing -- "Rooney Rule compliant" -- could be insulting to David Shaw, as if he were just a box that needed to be checked.

And therein lies the chief issue with the policy.

See, Shaw likely was used as a box the Rooney Rule mandated the Chargers check.

If a team is certain they want to hire a specific white coach, they have no choice but to use a minority candidate as a pawn.

Such a conundrum falls not on the shoulders of Breer, Schefter, or the Chargers -- but the Rooney Rule itself.

Concepts like the Rooney Rule, affirmative action, and DEI inherently turn minority candidates into pawns.

There's an argument the Rooney Rule diminishes the credibility of more black coaches than it elevates.

And black candidates don't need a rule in place to earn head coaching positions anymore.

Perhaps the Rooney Rule was the best available solution in 2003, when it was established. But that was 21 years ago.

Despite what you read on Andscape, NFL owners do not care about the color of their coaches or players.

Owners want to win, at all costs and colors.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft just fired Bill Belichick, who is white and widely viewed as the greatest coach of all time, because he wasn't winning enough.

Kraft replaced Belichick with Jerod Mayo, a 37-year-old black man who has never been an NFL coordinator.

Mayo will last years as Patriots coach if he wins football games. He will last maybe a year if he loses football games.

The same goes for every other coach hired this year, black or white. That is how the league works in 2024.

The NFL is not perfect. Biases will always exist, to some extent. Yet the NFL is as much of a meritocracy as any institution in America today.

At this point, the Rooney Rule is more of an insulting technicality than a needed solution.