The NFL continues to lag well behind in hiring minorities to the highest positions in the sports, so it’s proposing a dramatic incentive for teams.
According to NFL.com’s Jim Trotter, proposed modifications to the Rooney Rule — which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for openings at head coach and GM — include prohibiting teams from blocking assistants to interview for coordinator positions, and giving teams a better draft slot if they hire minorities to top positions.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell talking publicly about underrepresentation in minority hirings didn’t work. That led to the new proposal that is sure to be controversial.
Proposed changes to the Rooney Rule
Trotter’s story on NFL.com, which cites an anonymous source, details the unique plan. The league will present the ideas next Tuesday during a virtual owners’ meeting, Trotter said.
Trotter reported that if a team hires a minority head coach, that team will move up six spots in the third round after that coach’s second season. It would move up 10 spots if it hires a person of color as its primary football executive, which is usually the GM.
In addition, if a team hired minority candidates for both jobs in the same year, that team would jump 16 spots.
To incentivize giving those new hires more than just a year or two, a fourth-round pick would improve five spots after a coach or GM’s third year with a team.
It’s a proposal that will lead to a lot of discussion, within the owners and among those who follow the NFL.
