| NFL's New Hiring Policy Is Not the Answer | |
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The Rooney Plan, as it is called, is the result of complaints filed by Johnnie Cochran Jr. and Cyrus Mehri about the minority hiring practices of NFL teams and stipulates that each NFL team must interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching positions.
For a long time, the NFL has been a good ol’ boys network, but I believe the hiring of Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati and the consideration of defensive coordinators Ted Cottrell of the New York Jets and Greg Blache of the Chicago Bears for the 49ers head coaching job signals another move in the right direction. It may not be fast enough for the likes of Cochran, Mehri, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, but it does indicate a change, however slow it might be.
I understand the intention of the rule is to give minorities a chance to get their names out there as possible head coaching candidates. Maybe if they can just get a foot in the door they'll have the chance to showcase their skills. And even if they don’t get the job, another team might just take notice and give them an opportunity in the future. In theory, this sounds like a good policy.
A problem occurs, however, when reality sets in. In the NFL, often a team targets a certain individual, because of past successes, long before any interview process takes place. To ask a minority candidate to come in for what amounts to a sham interview, when they know fully well the only benefit they will receive is exposure for a possible gig that might not show up for years, is somewhat insulting. And the fact that no less than five candidates turned down the chance to interview for the Detroit Lions job tells me my opinion probably isn't far from the truth.
And how can you penalize General Manager Matt Millen and the Lions when they made an effort to follow the guidelines? They asked several candidates to interview for the position, and they were turned down. The idea that the Lions should have to beg someone to take the interview or face losing draft picks because of it is ridiculous.
When asked about the "candidates" that turned down the opportunity to interview for the Lions job, the Rev. Jackson told ESPN sources, "Would you interview for a job you already know is going to someone else? Would you allow yourself to be used by the Lions so they could get around the NFL policy? These men are not fools and shouldn't be treated that way."
In my opinion, forcing teams to fein interest, which I think was the situation in San Francisco, makes no more sense than asking a potential prospect to interview for a job he knows he has no chance of getting.
The Lions did not hire Steve Mariucci because he is white. They hired him because... Next Page
