We don’t know whether the Saints will hire Bill Parcells as their interim head coach during Sean Payton’s suspension, but the man who suspended Payton is amenable to the idea.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told the Associated Press today that he thinks if the Saints choose Parcells, then they’ve chosen well.
“That’s their decision. They need to make those decisions and we’ll move forward,” Goodell said. “Bill’s a great coach, and I’m sure [he] will add a lot of personality and intrigue. And he’s as competitive as they get so I’m sure he’ll do a good job.”
The major issue that the Associated Press story on Goodell’s comments didn’t address is that the Saints can’t hire Parcells without first interviewing a minority candidate. And as it becomes more apparent that the Saints are locked in on Parcells as their choice, there may be no minority candidates willing to interview.
What Goodell did say is that he trusts that Saints owner Tom Benson will follow all the necessary procedures.
“These are management decisions that Tom Benson will have to sign off on,” Goodell said. “He will get recommendations, I’m sure from Sean and Mickey [Loomis] and others, and make his determination. If it ends up being Parcells, then they’ve gone through the full process.”