And here’s more evidence why the Browns shouldn’t give former players positions of influence in the organization.
Though we have immense respect for Jim Brown’s on-field accomplishments, he tends to be a little loose in the lips when it comes to exercising discretion. The most recent example? He let the cat out of the bag today regarding the pursuit of former Packers and Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren by Browns owner Randy Lerner.
“At this moment, right now Randy Lerner is meeting with one of the great football minds in this country,” Brown said at a Tuesday luncheon. “And if things work out, that person will come in to run the football side of the Browns.”
Brown would not disclose the name of the person, but when asked if the person was Holmgren, Brown said, “You said it . . . and I heard it.”
But if Lerner isn’t also interviewing a minority candidate, he could have a problem. Earlier this year, NFL owners extended the Rooney Rule to executive-level front-office positions.
“This policy specifically requires clubs to interview at least one minority candidate as part of the hiring process for a club’s senior football operations position, whether described as general manager, executive vice president of football operations, or otherwise,” the league said in a release.
So if Lerner is, as widely reported, looking for a “football czar,” he’ll apparently need to conduct a search that includes a face-to-face interview with at least one minority candidate.
Then there’s the question of whether a Rooney Rule-compliant search must be conducted now for an interim czar-type job and then again after the season ends for the permanent hire. This specific approach applies to hiring coaches; there’s no reason to think it doesn’t also apply to the senior football operations job.
We assume that Lerner is conscious of these potential glitches in the process, and that he won’t put the cart before the horse. You know, like hiring a coach before hiring a G.M.
Um. Never mind.