The NFL's ‘Rooney Rule', named after the father of Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II, has come under fire with the recent bombshell lawsuit by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores coming to light. On Thursday, the Steelers owner spoke about the ‘Rooney Rule' amid the Flores lawsuit alleging racial discrimination, via ESPN.
“While I acknowledge that we have not seen progress in the ranks of Head Coaches, we have seen marked improvement in the hiring of women and minorities in other key leadership roles such as Coordinator positions, General Manager positions, and front office positions both in and out of football operations,” Rooney II said in a statement. “I believe this progress has been made as a result of the implementation of many of the enhanced policies that were recently adopted.”
Steelers owner Art Rooney II feels that the league is making progress in terms of diversity among general managers, coordinators and other front office positions, but not in terms of the hiring of minority head coaches. This take certainly makes sense in light of the recent allegations put forth by Brian Flores, which have taken aim at the ‘Rooney Rule.'
Considering that the NFL has just one black head coach- Steelers' Mike Tomlin- Rooney's words certainly ring true to some degree. The ‘Rooney Rule' has undergone enhancements and Rooney himself seems committed to overseeing continued adjustments to the rule as he, and others, see fit.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II's honesty on the ‘Rooney Rule' is certainly a step in the right direction when it comes to Brian Flores' fight for diversity in the NFL.
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