- Rooney Rule
Since the Rooney Rule was established, several NFL franchises have hired minority head coaches (including the Steelers themselves, who hired
Mike Tomlin before their 2007 season). At the start of the 2006 season, the overall percentage of African American coaches had jumped to 22%, up from 6% prior to the Rooney Rule. [http://www.law.nyu.edu/JOURNALS/LAWREVIEW/issues/vol82/no3/NYU305.pdf Tackling unconscious bias in hiring practices: The plight of the Rooney Rule] , Brian W. Collins, 5/8/07.] Even so, the policy is still debated and no team has stated whether the Rooney Rule contributed to the hiring of a minority.The rule does not apply if an assistant coach has language in his contract guaranteeing him the starting job in case of an opening. [http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/2008/01/the_rooney_rule.html] This was the case when
Mike Martz took over as head coach of theSt. Louis Rams before the2000 season.In 2003, the NFL fined the
Detroit Lions $200,000 for failure to interview minority candidates for the team's vacant head coaching job. AfterMarty Mornhinweg was fired, the Lions immediately hired formerSan Francisco 49ers head coachSteve Mariucci to replace him without interviewing any other candidates. The Lions claimed they attempted to interview other candidates but that the minority candidates withdrew from interviews, believing Mariucci's hiring was inevitable.References
External links
* [http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/6498949 CBS Sportsline article on Lions fine]
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