Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL alleging discriminatory hiring practices, and late last week, Ray Horton and Steve Wilks joined the suit.
Horton contends his 2016 interview for the Titans head coaching job was a sham. Mike Mularkey, who got the job, confirmed that in a 2020 interview that went unnoticed until the amended lawsuit.
One of the creators of the Rooney Rule is frustrated that things have not improved since the rule was implemented in 2003 and since tweaked many times without success. Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson, who helped implement the Rooney Rule while an executive with the Falcons, said the minority interview requirements are not working as intended.
“In that room, when we were talking about the Rooney Rule, what we talked about was: It can’t be short-lived; it can’t be tokenism; it’s got to be a deep and committed initiative that is sustainable,” Anderson said during a roundtable discussion on race and hiring in the NFL last week at Arizona State, via Kyle Odegard of compare.bet. “We thought we had agreement and promise to that, but over time, we reverted back to the same old practices.”
Anderson, who also served as executive vice president of football operations for the NFL from 2007-14, wants Dan Rooney’s name removed from the rule. The late Rooney, who owned the Steelers, campaigned for diversity and inclusion, Anderson said, while other owners don’t share the same vision.
“I think they should take the Rooney name off the rule that now has no teeth,” Anderson said. “It’s an embarrassment. Mr. Dan Rooney was a real advocate and really meant to have change. I think it does a disservice to Mr. Rooney and the family. I would love to see them make change that is positive, but don’t utilize Mr. Rooney’s name any more because now when you think of the Rooney Rule, very frankly, it’s a negative perception. I think that’s offensive, personally. Mr. Rooney deserves much more.”