The Rooney Rule is no more. Or it might as well be. Time of death, 2:29 p.m. ET.
The NFL has put out word that the Raiders complied with the Rooney Rule before hiring coach Jon Gruden.
Even though they agreed to hire Gruden before they fired Jack Del Rio, which owner Mark Davis admitted to at Gruden’s press conference.
Even though the two minority candidates they interviewed after they agreed to a deal with their next coach were guys with no head coaching or coordinating experience in the league, who they didn’t even give assistant coaching jobs to. They dragged Southern Cal offensive coordinator Tee Martin and tight ends coach Bobby Johnson through interviews, and even interviewed Martin for a job on Gruden’s staff later.
But the league determined that’s just fine, after talking to Gruden, Davis and General Manager Reggie McKenzie. They will not be punished.
By doing nothing about a flagrant violation of the rule, the NFL has effectively set a precedent that no one will be punished for violating it, ever.
Maybe they’re hoping for a government shutdown today, or maybe they just don’t care. But under no circumstances can anyone interested in fairness in hiring practices believe that the right thing was done here today.