One of the biggest talking points of the NFL offseason so far has been the potential overhaul of minority hiring procedures and the Rooney Rule as a whole. On Tuesday it was revealed that NFL owners have voted to “table” those discussions.
The NFL’s Jim Trotter reported the news via Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.
BREAKING: NFL owners have tabled the resolution to incentivize the hiring of minority coaches and general managers, per source.
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) May 19, 2020
The Rooney Rule came to being in 2003, and dictates that all teams must interview a minority candidate for all head coaching and senior-level football operation vacancies. Marvin Lewis was the minority first head coach hired after the rule was implemented. Mike Tomlin was also a Rooney Rule interview.
Changes to the Rooney Rule include the rule expanding to other areas of football operations, including executive positions. It also expands to include offensive and defensive coordinator vacancies. The wording is also being changed to include women as counting towards the Rooney Rule interviews.
Among these discussions are incentivizing teams to hire minority candidates by giving them better draft capital. Hiring one minority candidate for a head coaching position would raise the team’s third round draft pick up six spots. Hiring a minority candidate for a GM position could move it up ten spots.
Offensive and defensive coordinator vacancies will also be required to feature an interview for a candidate outside of the team’s organization.
In any case, the owners will not vote on it today. They will table the conversation for a later date, and are still expected to vote on the resolution before the 2020 season begins.
Featured Image courtesy of USA TODAY Sports
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