Episode 6
Revisiting the Rooney Rule
The NFL recently announced proposed changes to the “Rooney Rule”. Adopted in 2003, the Rooney Rule is an NFL policy requiring every team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one or more diverse candidates. In 2009, the Rooney Rule was expanded to include general manager jobs and equivalent front office positions. I sat down with Professor Jeremi Duru from American University to talk about the proposed change and have an open and honest conversation about the impact of the Rooney Rule in the NFL and diversity in sports overall.
SOME key takeaways and Information:
- The question shouldn’t be who you want to hire, the questions is who would be best for the job?
- Positional Stacking
- Fritz-Pollard Alliance
- John Wooten
- Jason Reid article on the NFL Draft
I hope you learn as much in this episode as I did and I encourage everyone to dive even deeper into the ideas and topics that Professor Duru discusses as we continue to seek out knowledge, understanding, and positive change.
As Nelson Mandela said, "Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair."
