The NFL is proposing some new additions to the Rooney Rule, and Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn isn't much of a fan of how it has been altered.
The Rooney Rule was put in place to get more minorities in head coaching and football operations positions. It required that teams interview at least one minority candidate for those positions whenever they were looking to hire someone new.
However, it doesn't seemed to have changed much in the league. In fact, there are only four minority head coaches right now, out of a possible 32.
Due to that, the NFL has recently decided to make some changes to that rule. However, those changes have not been received well.
The proposal was simple: The NFL was going to incentivize teams that hire minority coaches. One incentive is that if they hire a minority head coach, the next year they would get an additional third-round pick in the NFL Draft.
Lynn commented on the proposal on The Zach Gelb Show (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk):
“I think sometimes you can do the wrong thing while trying to do the right thing …
“I think that there are a lot of qualified African-American coaches that could be a head coach in this league, and I just pray that we do our due diligence and give these guys an opportunity … There are some qualified applicants and they need an opportunity, and I think this is — out of desperation this is something that has been thrown out there … There are a lot of brilliant guys that can call plays but can’t lead a damn team.”
According to @JimTrotter_NFL there is a #NFL proposal trying to incentivize hiring minority coaching & GM candidates by rewarding teams with improved draft slots. #Chargers HC Anthony Lynn told @ZachGelb, "Sometimes you can do the wrong thing while trying to do the right thing." pic.twitter.com/EWGxJ0B005
— CBS Sports Radio (@CBSSportsRadio) May 16, 2020
Lynn makes a great point.
First of all, it's patronizing. And it could easily lead some critics of hires to think that they were only made because of the rule and the draft picks that come with them.
It could hold some weight, too; teams would probably love those extra picks. And all hires should be based on merit, not on who will give the team extra picks.
There are plenty of qualified minority head coaching candidates. The league should not need to diminish their accomplishments by offering teams more for hiring them.
As Lynn said, “I think sometimes you can do the wrong thing while trying to do the right thing,” and that's a perfect way to describe it.
The NFL saw a serious problem and one that needs to be fixed. The league tried to make the appropriate changes. This isn't the way they should do it. There are too many problems presented by the Rooney Rule changes. The NFL should back to the drawing board and find something that isn't going to diminish the accomplishments of minority head coaches while increasing their ranks.
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