The NFL continues to tweak its coaching rules, in hopes of making race less of a determining factor of who gets head coaching, coordinator and general manager jobs.
First, the NFL expanded the Rooney Rule to include quarterbacks coaches. This marks the fourth time the rule has been expanded, and the third in the past three years. First introduced in 2003, the Rooney Rule was applied to general manager interviews in '09, to coordinators in '20, and in '21 the rule now required two diversity interviews for all head-coaching vacancies.
While there are many paths to the head coaching chair, quarterback will always be the shortest. Brian Daboll, Nathaniel Hackett, Kliff Kingsbury, Matt LaFleur, Mike McCarthy, Josh McDaniels, Kevin O'Connell, Doug Pederson, Frank Reich, Andy Reid, Kyle Shanahan, Nick Sirianni, Kevin Stefanski and Zac Taylor -- nearly half the league's current head coaching roster -- all have previous quarterback coaching experience. All 14 are white.
Of the six non-white active NFL head coaches, five come from defensive backgrounds.
Elsewhere, the NFL also spaced out the head coaching interview schedule, in hopes of preventing tampering and to slow down the hiring process.
Both changes were announced during the NFL's first (annual?) minority accelerator program, an effort by the league to get up-and-coming minority and women coaching and personnel executives in front of ownership and other key decision makers.
No matter how many ways in which the NFL attempts to legislate the head coaching and GM hires, the league office cannot tell teams who to hire. That comes down to ownership broadening their respective networks, and the league hopes this week's efforts will lead to different results down the road.
“This event was outstanding,” said Detroit coach Aaron Glenn of NFL minority accelerator program
— Daniel Kaplan (@KaplanSportsBiz) May 24, 2022
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