NFL executive VP of football operations. He was in the job
before Troy Vincent. He was a member of The League office for
a long time and he was part of the NFL. When the Rooney Rule
was adopted nearly 20 years ago.
He had some strong comments
about why. Or if
Dan Rooney's name should still be attached to it because of
what it has become. Here's what he said. Among other things in
that room when we were talking about the Rooney Rule, what we
talked about was it can't be short-lived to, can't be
tokenized.
Kasim, it's got to be a deep and committed initiative. That
is sustainable. We thought we had an agreement and promise to
that. But over time, we've reverted back to the same old
practices. I think they should take the Rooney name off
the rule
that now has no teeth. 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 anymore. Because
now when you think of the Rooney will very frankly. It's
an egg. Perception. I think that's offensive personally.
Mr. Rooney deserves
much more, and that's
very well put by Ray Anderson. And really,
the Rooney Rule has become
I don't want to say a punchline
but very few people. Utter it and think of it the way that it
was intended to be thought of that. It was some sort of
a beacon
for positive change. And it was an example of how the NFL
was going to pull itself into the 21st century. Curry with
the right approach to ensuring Fair, hiring practices. Now,
it emerged from a point where the NFL was threatened with
litigation. So I don't know that it was ever a good context
for it to even begin
the NFL fearful that it was going to be sued.
Decided we better do something. Yeah, and the problem is what
they did. And Chris. I saw it early on, you know, I mean II
don't disagree with Ray Anderson's comments,
but this started early on
First year, Matt Millen violates it first or second
year. He violates it. Blatantly when he, when he hired Steve
Mariucci, far as Marty morning wag late in the process. No
minority candidate interviews for the job. Sherman Lewis
says, that's a sham. I'm not sitting for that. Everybody
knows you're hiring. Steve Mariucci.
Matt Millen hires him and he gets find a half million dollars
and then Jerry Jones hires Bill Parcells
and does a very
check-the-box moved to interview by phone. Dennis
Green before. He completes the deal with Bill Parcells to
comply with the Rooney Rule, and the NFL had to
had to get rid of that loophole. Can't be a phone
interview. It's got to be face-to-face. I feel like
the NFL spent 15 years
chasing around teams that were taking advantage of loopholes,
rather than teams that were properly honoring, the spirit
of the rule, and the spirit of the rule is this, it's very
simple. And Coach, Dungy
Advocates this all the time. I don't think anybody listens to
him, but the idea is don't go into the process, knowing who
you're going to hire exactly. Don't have a decision in mind
when you start the process. Now human nature is such that
before you get rid of the coach. You have you want to
have an idea of the coach you're going to hire. So
I don't know how much of that is is even effective. But
the idea is to convince these teams to not
start with an ending point in mind,
that's been the problem. Because, I think more often
than not, I was told before this year's hiring cycle. 70
to, 80% of the time. They already had already knew,
right? Right. It's already baked in more times than not
it. It really is. It's already like baked
into the point where I would think teams from where
more, you know,
examples than not of. Hey, we're about to hire our coach,
and they've already narrowed it down to the one or two, guys.
They've, they really want,
I think it's very rare where it's actually a clean interview
process where the team really not sure where they're going to
go, and they're going to just listen
and really like evaluate the candidates very rarely. Does
that happen? I mean, I feel like it's like once a hiring
cycle really
and you know, as far as Ray Anderson is concerned. I mean,
he's right. I mean it's he's exactly right. It is it's
gotten to the point where it is kind of its a joke period and
it's certainly a joke to the African
American coaches, which is what we need to respect. They're all
telling us this, they're telling us in playing day. It's
disrespectful.
And I think if you look at it in any other way, I mean, you
know, I don't care how you you
substitute people in and out. It is disrespectful.
You know, the rule has been disrespected. It is
disrespectful also to the Rooney family and oh, mr.
Rooney was a guy that was at the Forefront of this and
trying to change it and I know the NFL did this to, you know,
spark positive change, but
as we've seen here, it's been just taking advantage of it
has. And that's where that's the the the current place we're
at and I think right Anderson said it right. I really do.
I agree with just about everything. He said right there
and the fact that
At, you know, maybe, maybe the fact that we're disrespecting
the African-American so much in this process, maybe the fact
that Ray Anderson brings into the fact that, hey, now, we're
starting to disrespect
older rich, white guy. That was a staple to the NFL. Maybe
that'll open some eyes a little bit more to make people
realize. Like it is disrespectful across the board
to a bunch of people. Right now, with how this is being
handled
well, and
You know, the rule is self is going to become a problem for
the NFL within the confines of the pending litigation. That
was filed. February 1 by Brian Flores and amended last week to
include Steve Wilkes
and Ray Horton. Because
the mere existence of the Rooney Rule
confirms that there's a problem. Yeah, right. That
these owners can't be trusted to engage in a diverse and
inclusive search without a mandate.
From the league to do it. They can't be trusted to do it on
their own. They have to be told to do it under threat of
six-figure fine.
They have to be told to do it.
And even then even then
they still
find ways around it. And I remember without even have to
look it up. I remember I've
I've lived these over the years.
When
Dan Schneider decides, he's hiring Mike, Shanahan period.
Yeah.
Jim Zorn's out. Mike Shanahan. Zinno. What about the Rooney
Rule? Oh God. All right. What are we gonna do here? Hmm.
I know we interviewed Jerry gray before we hired Jim Zorn. Let's
go with that. Yeah, let's go with that. Okay, didn't we have
a conversation
with Jerry gray about something? Didn't
Jim's horns name, come up. Yeah, let's go with that and
I'm oversimplifying it but that's basically what it was.
That's how they complied.
They interviewed Jerry gray who was a member of the staff
before they fired Jim Zorn.
While the job still
was occupied by Zorn.
They interviewed a member of his staff to replace Jim's
going. That's how they complied with the Rooney. Well, and
again, the loop holes have been plugged. Now, you have to have
to
external minority candidates are interviewed,
except after March 1
as we learned a couple of weeks ago with the Buccaneers
situation. That's a loophole that's going to be plug before.
It can be exploited by someone like Jerry Jones who decides
out of the blue after After March, 1 of any year, I'm
throwing overboard, the guy I have and I'm bringing in Sean,
Payton or I'm elevating a guy on the staff, who's kind of
the head coach in waiting, and I'll have to comply with the Rooney
Rule. So, you know, there's been so much effort spent by
teams
to not comply with it, that that makes it even worse.
They create a rule that demonstrates
these organizations. These owners can't be trusted to have
an inclusive devotion search without a threat that they
must, and then they spend 20 years. Coming up on all sorts
of ways to get around it.
Cut. I'm
that makes for a hell of a case for Brian Flores, Steve Wilkes
and Ray Horton. And I know in their individual cases they
have to have evidence but when you consider
the statistical hiring practices.
When you consider this, Rooney Rule shell game that was played
and is still being played that. That's that's not good for
the league. That's not good Chris for anybody.
No, of course, it's not it's not good for the league. And
that's where
there. There's got to be some different formula figured out
here for the the hiring process and I just, I don't know what
that is.
The formula is a jury reaches a verdict in the tens if not
hundreds of millions of dollars against the Fell. The formula
is the NFL holding
owners accountable
the way that some think they're going to hold, Stephen Ross.
And Daniel Snyder accountable that there's going to be
someone who goes down in order to get the other owners to
realize
you aren't covered in velcro. Not velcro Teflon. You aren't
covered in tough floor to a Kevlar
velcro Teflon, one of the three, whichever one protects
you. You aren't covered in the Teflon. Don. Come on. What are
you don't know. That don't mind. Yeah, you don't you don't
get you don't get just because you're the guy
who has all the money
and you go by the team and you're surrounded by sycophants
who always tell you what you want to hear. There's a there's
a point where that doesn't work anymore and we're not going to
let you be part of this club. If you don't know how to
properly run your business
and that's what it's going to take. Because
when you break it down, individually, I feel like
the attitude for the owners is all. This is great. This is a
I agree. Great great. Yeah, we
To do this. Somebody else will do it. I'm still hiring the guy
want. Yeah. Yeah, that's the problem. We've talked about it
a lot. I mean, again the NFL it's baked in its deep rooted
in its whiteness. It is
that's just as a lot of
family trees and tentacles and connections of people that way.
So that's where it's hard to overcome.
I think there's got to you know, the
to me. The thing is that I would like to see more than
anything at least is start. It's kind of what Tony Dungy
says that to me would be the best way to at least make it
fair, right?
Off the bat is just no interview process early.
Everybody's got to wait at the same time for it all to start so
it can all everybody does. Nobody gets a head start or
you know, there's no finagling all we did this now and we're
going to wait until this guy's done or whatever else that to
me would go a long way to start the process and I don't know,
do you I don't know if there's anything
else either? I got to think about it more
but it's a tough spot that the NFL is in right now and there
is a real issue.
Mr. Rooney is Disrespected with this crappy rule, that's being
taken advantage of the whole Rooney family is,
and that's certainly not a good look. It's not their intent.
And mr. Rooney of course, was at the Forefront of this whole
thing. So,
yeah, I don't know though that the problem is how to fix it.
And that's where I can't quite figure it out. Throw some ideas
out there, but I just feel like, even when I throw
an idea, I go well, these 32 Motors will figure out a way to
finagle
that too. And that's where I just don't know how to, how, to
get to the bottom of it. I do like the idea of delaying,
the process.
Because through the delay may be an owner can be introduced
to someone else other than the one that they enter
the process, right bent right on hiring. So
the passage of time, see what? Here's what's
The real challenge
you have to create an environment where
there's an opportunity
to change the mind of the owner.
But to let the owner, always believe he's changing his or
her mind on his or her own that. It's not someone
changing. My mind. There's an occasion there
for mines to be changed about what the predetermined outcome
will be but that person that owner that one who is used to.
Sizing full and complete dominion over any and all
assets that this person has acquired, or inherited. As
the case may be
that that, I'm the one who's making this decision. No one's
pushing me to make this decision. I looked it's basic
human nature. You give someone a lot of power and a lot of
money. One of the things they want to
do is exercise it and remind everyone
that they have the power and money, that allows them to do
whatever they want to do. That's why I think sometimes
the more that the league tries to push back, the more they
push, that
is Hayden. Yeah. Right. Want to remind you who's really in
charge here. Yeah, and we want to remind you Roger Goodell who
you work for
you work for us. Roger Goodell. We don't work
for you little subtle, you know rarely does someone articulate
that but that message comes through and the challenge
becomes
having the league more involved and finding a way to use
the Right Touch, the right approach to get the owners to do
the right thing
and having them conclude on. Their own that the thing they
want to do coincidentally is the right thing. Good luck with
that. Yeah. Good luck with that.
That's that is the problem. It's hard though. League is
full of those, let alone the owners. But yeah, it's full of
Egos and guys and people that you tell them something and
they go screw you you how dare you tell me this
and they'll go out of their way to almost do the opposite, just
because somebody sent it to them. I mean, it's through and
through, that's this is coaches. Front office, owners.
They all got it. Let alone we know,
Billionaire owners have that I mean, yes, we do know that. So
again, hopefully we can continue to start this
conversation or not started but kick around ideas and continue
to get people involved in this and I know we got people
thinking of things. But
yeah, this is not an easy fix. It's not it's hard to tell
a loner who to hire,
but it's not hard to make the process fair. And that's where
I do blame the owners, and the fact that they've not made
the process Fair, the The fix is almost always in
ninety percent of the time. With all these hires.
They never go in with a
clean slate. Let me just
take it for what it is and see each guy.
They've already been sold a bill of goods by an agent or
somebody they know in the league and they hot, they fire
their head coach. They are 95% sure who they're going to hire
after that. And the rest of it
is just be us. Be SBS.
Well, hopefully the
litigation initially brought by Brian Flores will help change
things, hopefully. Leave the fact that six Attorneys General
are paying close attention to the way, the NFL is doing it.
It's business will help change things. Hopefully, whatever
the fair outcome is for the pending investigations involving Dan
Schneider. And Stephen Ross will get other owners to
realize
that maybe they need to change but you know what through it
all Chris
the Denver Broncos are for sale. And here comes
s Robson Walton are to the Walmart Fortune worth seventy
billion dollars in. He's going to plunk down. On four or five
billion and he's going to be the latest member of Club
oligarch Lao and and it's and well, I mean that's reportedly
right now, make
a bit and he can he can make whatever bid it's going to take
to buy that team. If he decides he wants that team. He's one of
the people walking the face of the Earth
who can write the check, who can show up with the bag of
cash or bags of cash. At the case may be yeah. To by guy,
right?
If he wants that team. He's getting that team. Yeah, but
again, it's another situation where we have the most rich and
powerful people in the country. Who are in charge of these
teams? And then you try to get them
to do something different than what they want to do. I've paid
my five billion. I'll hire whoever I damn. Well, please,
Good Luck,
Good Luck. Convincing that person
to step back from that because even if, that person is walking
into potential liability,
You think Rob Walton is going to Flinch. He's worth 70
billion.
Do you think he's going to Flinch
at being embroiled in litigation for the next five years?
He's probably been embroiled in litigation on some matter of
the other, for the last five years. You don't get to that
much wealth,
and power, and influence, without constantly having
the little minnows of litigation. Nibbling at your
feet
as you stand. In the
building, pull on the third deck of your super. Yacht.
I've got the metaphors all screwed up. There was good.
I have good. I was like, I was enjoying this,
you're not gonna have minnows in the point. Anyway, I mean,
you know, you never know care though, right? They just don't
care. You're gonna sue me. I've been so, I've been sued for
Lawyers continuously, sue me, I don't care. I got enough money
that I don't care. When you got 70 billion, you don't care.
And when you own a football team
who becomes that team becomes
Annex, it's like a point of Pride
for these. Like, how else do you measure yourself? As
somebody who is worth billions? You get to a point where
okay. I got 50 billion 60 bun, 70 billion, who cares? I got
I got more money than I can ever spend more money than I can
ever count more money than I could ever. What a room
is. So I got a football team and this football team is
something that Millions follow and this football team becomes
part of me. It's part of my identification for the
better. The team is
the more important and Powerful. I'll get it becomes
an extension their ego and damn it. They're not going to
entrust it to anybody that someone from the league is
trying to get them to entrust it to. They're going to entrust
it to who they want to.
That's the problem. Yeah, in a nutshell. That's the problem.
No, it definitely is Mike. It's a problem. It's Rich problem.
Big money problem. And yeah. There's, there's definitely
going to be those issues in the NFL. So I don't know.
I really don't know.
It's a shame that we're in. This process is the shame that
people have made a sham of it, you know, so often.
But I think the all we can do is again bring light to it and
continue to push the conversation and hopefully we
can get some real answers and
some real detailed plan of attack from the NFL and people
around it to fix the problem.
Packers got it, right.
You know, and I've said this before, all these teams should
just be corporations. Now those still be somebody who Rises up
with all the shares and runs it and and is in a similar
situation. But at least
in a corporation, the CEO can be fired by the board.
You can have internal
committees and approaches and policies. That will ensure
that you don't have one person who runs amok.
You don't have one person who is so
permanently tied to the team, the identity of that person is
Interstate inextricably
connected to that team,
that that I just feel like at a psychological level. We need
a break like that. We just can't have this, this small group of
extremely rich and powerful people who do whatever they
want, whenever they want. However, they want and these
teams
are an extension of their egos
and they're going to run them. However, they see fit. I just
feel like that kind of unchecked
power.
Is not good for the league. It's not good for the shield.
It's not good for anybody.