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Tennessee State head coach Eddie George surprised everyone by interviewing for the Chicago Bears' head coaching vacancy. Now, he's sharing his thoughts on the process, explaining that he didn't think the interview was just procedural—he truly felt he was being considered for the job.
Per The Tennesseean, George asked the Bears front office officials if his interview was merely to satisfy the requirements of the Rooney Rule. The NFL's “Rooney Rule” requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coach, general manager, and other key leadership roles. Named after former Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, its goal is to promote diversity in league leadership.
When they confirmed to him that they were considering him for the position, he asked for two days to consider whether he should interview for the then-open vacancy.
“The thing about the Rooney Rule is, it doesn't matter how you get in the room,” George said. “Whether it's through the front door, backdoor, side door, window or the roof − if I get in the room, you still gotta deal with me. Then I've got to go out there and perform, meaning I've still got to interview well.”
The interview took place at Halas Hall headquarters in Chicago with chairman George McCaskey and other front office officials and, per the Tennesseean, his preexisting relationships with the team facilitated the interview opportunity. George has ties to the Bears, as he worked with the team during their OTAs in 2023. George understands that.
“I wouldn't have had the opportunity to interview (for the head coaching position) had I not had a previous relationship and the respect for it,” George said. “They we're really pushing for me to come up even when I said, ‘Give me 48 hours to think about it.' I thought they may say they didn't have that much time, but they didn't.”
The Bears cast a wide net in their search for a new head coach. The Bears ultimately landed on Ben Jonson, the Detroit Lions' former offensive coordinator. But, George was able to introduce his name into NFL coaching conversations has he continues to grow his resume as a head coach with his immense success at Tennessee State.
Per his comments to The Tennessean, Eddie George looks to continue his work with Tennessee State.
“We've still got some work to do here and we're working on it,” he said.
