Is the Rooney Rule working?
James Craig
Published Jan 16, 2026
Sportswriters and pundits often credit the Rooney Rule with boosting the number of minority coaches in the National Football League. But a study by Indiana University economist Todd Walker and two other researchers determined that the rule, adopted in 2003, has in fact had little impact on hiring.
Why does the Rooney Rule not work?
The rule, the suit claims, is “not working because management is not doing the interviews in good faith. It creates a stigma that interviews of Black candidates are only being done to comply with the Rooney Rule rather than in recognition of the talents that the Black candidates possess.” The rule goes beyond football.
What is the current Rooney Rule?
The league expanded the rule to include women as part of the external minority candidate interview pool. Established in 2003, the Rooney Rule now stipulates that all 32 clubs must interview at least two women and/or persons of color when seeking to fill prominent positions in order to comply with the policy.
When has the Rooney Rule worked?
The Rooney Rule, which took effect in 2003, sought to correct inequities at the top of pro football's hierarchy by requiring teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching vacancies. It has been nearly 20 years, and the NFL has lost yardage.
What happens if you break the Rooney Rule?
(named after Dan Rooney, the chair of the Committee) became binding on all NFL teams, and any team found in violation of the Rooney Rule (i.e., failing to interview a minority candidate before filling a head coach vacancy) would now be subject to penalties at the NFL Commissioner's discretion. NFL coach.
29 related questions foundWhy the Rooney Rule is important?
The Rooney Rule is one part of the NFL's effort to develop a deep, sustainable talent pool at all levels of the organization. The policy promotes diverse leadership among NFL clubs to ensure that promising candidates have the opportunity to prove they have the necessary skills and qualifications to excel.
Are there any black NFL owners?
There has never been a Black owner in the NFL. With the Denver Broncos up for sale, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said during the Super Bowl last week that the league would ”love to see a diverse owner'' to buy that franchise.
Is the Rooney Rule Legal in UK?
This is because "positive action" (described below) is lawful in the UK; but not positive discrimination or affirmative action as seen in the use of the Rooney Rule in the NFL.
What NFL team has a Black coach?
I hope so. As we approach the Super Bowl, Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the only Black head coach in the league. He's won a Super Bowl title and has never had a losing season. That's impressive.
What percentage of the NFL is black?
But wow—about 70% of NFL players are black.
What percent of NFL head coaches are Black?
There have been 500 head coaches in the NFL's history — 24 of them have been Black. That's 4.8%. In 2022, with the Steelers' Mike Tomlin and recently-named Texans head coach Lovie Smith, that percentage is 6.3%.
Which NFL teams have never hired a black coach?
Conversation. Incredibly, or perhaps not so incredibly, nearly half of the NFL teams have never had a black non-interim head coach: Bills, Patriots, Ravens, Titans, Jaguars, Cowboys, Commanders, Giants, Saints, Falcons, Panthers, Rams, Seahawks. There have been 20 non-interim black head coaches in the NFL.
How many NFL coordinators are black?
An insightful article last month by the sportswriter Shalise Manza Young noted that, since 2016, three-quarters of the 40 head coaches hired had worked as offensive coordinators. In 2021 only seven of the league's 33 offensive coordinators were black.
Who are the 5 minority coaches in the NFL?
Smith, who is Black, joins Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin, New York Jets coach Robert Saleh, Washington's Ron Rivera, and Mike McDaniel, who was hired Sunday to coach Miami, as the league's only minority head coaches.
How do I apply Rooney Rule?
The Rooney Rule requires “at least one woman and one underrepresented minority [to] be considered in the slate of candidates for either every open position or every open senior position (the details vary from company to company).”
How do you implement Rooney Rule?
The Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least one ethnic-minority candidate when hiring a new head coach. It also (now) requires teams to interview minorities for general manager positions as well as women for some front-office positions. It continues to evolve.
What is the whitest NFL team?
The Whitest Team in the NFL Isn't What You Would Expect (Or Maybe It Is) The Philadelphia Eagles — and by a huge margin. The team's roster consists of 25 white dudes. According to "Unofficial 2014 Player Census" compiled by the Best Tickets blog, the Texans are the only other team that has even 20.
Does a female own an NFL team?
The four female NFL owners are Sheila Firestone Ford Hamp of the Detroit Lions, Gayle Benson of the New Orleans Saints, Virginia Halas McCaskey of the Chicago Bears, and Amy Adams Strunk of the Tennessee Titans.
What NFL team is owned by a black man?
The NFL's only minority owners are Shahid Khan of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kim Pegula of the Buffalo Bills.
Why was Rooney Rule created?
It was created as a reaction to the 2002 firings of head coaches Tony Dungy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dennis Green of the Minnesota Vikings, at a time when Dungy had a winning record and Green had just had his first losing season in ten years.
What is Rooney Rule named after?
Why is it called the Rooney Rule? It is named after Dan Rooney, the former owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and former chairman of the league's diversity committee who spearheaded the initiative in 2002.
Which NFL team has hired the most black coaches?
A study of the Las Vegas Raiders further illustrates the point. Under former general manager Reggie McKenzie, who is Black, the Raiders had the highest share of Black players in the league, at 79.2%. In 2016, when McKenzie won NFL executive of the year, the Raiders also had the highest share of Black coaches, at 82.3%.
Why are there no black NFL owners?
None of the NFL's majority owners are Black. Historically, the league has shown a lack of commitment to diversity in head coaching hires so deep that a rule, the Rooney rule, was put in place, forcing teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching vacancies.
What percent of NFL players are white?
Meanwhile, white players make up 24.9% of the NFL while comprising 60.1% of the population. Latino players represent just 0.4% of all NFL players but are 18.5% of the country's total. Asian players represent only 0.1% of all NFL players while accounting for 5.9% of the population.