The NFL has expanded the Rooney Rule and will now require all teams with a vacancy for the quarterbacks coach to interview at least one minority for the job.
The league announced the change to the rule today, as part of its diversity seminar ahead of this week’s league meeting. Amid criticism that there aren’t enough Black head coaches, the league has been trying to ensure more opportunities for minorities to work their way through the ranks in key coaching positions.
The NFL initially adopted the Rooney Rule in 2003, requiring NFL teams to interview a minority candidate before hiring a head coach. The rule was expanded in 2009 to require NFL teams to interview a minority candidate before hiring a new general manager as well. In 2020 the rule expanded to coordinators, and in 2021 the rule expanded once again to require two minorities to be interviewed for head-coaching vacancies.
Now the league is expanding the Rooney Rule again, at a time when the rule itself is being criticized. Some in the coaching community, most prominently Brian Flores, say all the rule does is lead to teams conducting sham interviews. The league needs not only to ensure the interviews are conducted, but to ensure that the interviews are genuine.