NFL owners voted to approve the incentive-based hiring of minority coaches and executives. There are currently only four minority head coaches and three minority executives in the 32-team league.
The incentives are to include rewarding a team back-to-back third-round compensatory picks if another team hires a member of their staff to a higher role. The coach or executive has to have been with their previous team for a minimum of two years in order for the compensatory picks to apply.
When the NFL first suggested strengthening the Rooney Rule by incentivizing minority head coach and general manager hires, it was basically an admittance that the owners are too stubborn to actually approach hiring practices with colorless shades on. Some won’t even respect the Rooney Rule‘s basic guidelines to interview a minority head-coaching candidate.
The league was considering giving teams better draft positions and other incentives if they hire minorities. Some people agree that desperate times call for desperate measures and with just three Black head coaches (Mike Tomlin, Anthony Lynn, Brian Flores) and two Black GM’s in a 32-team league with 75 percent Black players — NFL owners can’t be trusted to open-mindedly seek the most qualified candidates for these positions.
READ MORE: Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin Says NFL’s Hiring System Is Racially Broken
While we think the new incentives are necessary, there are voices such as former TSL columnist Rob Parker who are insulted by the need to do this.
