Pollard’s Legacy Was a Catalyst For The Rooney Rule in the NFL
During the same year the NFL implemented the Rooney Rule, the Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation was established to promote diversity in NFL coaching hires in 2003. It is an affinity group of NFL minority coaches, scouts and front office personnel. The group worked with the league to establish hiring guidelines for front office and scouting positions.
Last year, the FPA worked with the league to strengthen the Rooney Rule after the Raiders skated around the spirit of the mandate to interview black candidates for its open head coach position.
After discussions with the FPA, changes were made that now require a team’s final decision maker to be present during interviews and meet with at least one minority candidate who’s either on the NFL’s Career Development Advisory List or not already employed by the team.
The FPA also expressed concerns over the NFL’s latest coaching carousel, where five black coaches were fired. Before news got out that the Dolphins are expected to nab Patriots Linebackers coach Brian Flores, the group’s executive chairman said he was alarmed that no black candidates were hired this winter.
“The thing we’re looking at—I’ll be very open and frank with you—I’m very much surprised at some of the hirings that have been done so far,” John Wooten told the Miami Herald. “Like anything else, different people like different things, so that’s what you have to deal with.”
