The National Football League established the Rooney Rule in 2003 to address the lack of minority coaches and executives around the league. Two decades later, some around the NFL believe the rule has largely been a failure.
Named after former Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, the rule to increase the diversity of the NFL’s interview process and increase the number of minority head coaches and general managers hasn’t yielded great results.
Related: NFL officials concerned teams still abusing Rooney Rule
Entering the 2023 season, there are six minority head coaches around the league. There’s been very little increase in the figure over the last decade, with the incoming minority head coaches in 2023 (DeMeco Ryans) replacing the outgoing coach (Lovie Smith) in a trend that’s been easily identified over the years.
Now, in one of his final statements as the executive director of the players union, DeMaurice Smith is calling out the league to replace the Rooney Rule due to its ineffectiveness.
In a detailed piece on the NFLPA’s website, Smith wrote that the Rooney Rule has failed to do what it was originally created for. Smith and Carl Lasker also argued that the evidence they found “overwhelmingly demonstrates” that the NFL’s lack of diversity in coaching and front office is the result of a “deliberate or deliberately indifferent” policy by NFL owners.
“The Rooney Rule, which is the NFL’s self-imposed structure to rectify discrimination and improve diversity, has failed. While numerous articles have discussed the obvious deficiencies of the Rooney Rule, this article attempts to answer the question of why it was doomed to failure from its inception, and why it should be abandoned and replaced with a set of bold leadership steps to limit the discretion of NFL team owners in order to ensure a more fair and inclusive hiring system.”
DeMaurice Smith and Carl Lasker on the Rooney Rule, lack of diversity in the NFL
Related: Former coach reveals team conducted sham Rooney Rule interview before hire
The analysis found that fewer than 20 percent of NFL teams employed full-time head coaches of color, even though nearly 70 percent of NFL players identify as racial minorities.
Smith, who also wrote that the NFL often avoids having to address its issues because it faces “neither shareholder nor consumer accountability” nor it is held to public compliance, instead operates as it wants while enjoying tax benefits, taxpayer-funded stadiums and a special antitrust treatment.
The outgoing NFLPA executive pushed for changes, including the league acknowledging that the Rooney Rule doesn’t work and abandoning it. THem, he wants a new “consistent, fair, transparent and lawful” system created. In addition, he wants the elimination of rules requiring coaches to receive permission from teams to apply for other jobs and he wants outside groups to audit the NFL’s hiring process.
The NFL has made additions to the Rooney Rule in recent years, including draft-pick compensation for teams whose assistant becomes a general manager or head coach. Furthermore, coordinator positions and quarterback coaches are now included in the Rooney Rule. However, heading into the 2023 season, the data suggests the NFL’s intentions for the rule haven’t been met.
