Tony Dungy Doesn't Support Draft Considerations in Expanded Rooney Rule
Count Tony Dungy among those who doesn't think NFL draft position should be tied to minority hiring practices. Dungy was a guest on Monday's Tiki and Tierney on CBS Sports Radio and CBS Sports Network and discussed the new Rooney Rule proposal.
The NFL has already agreed to expand the Rooney Rule, which previously required teams to interview at least one minority candidate for any head coach vacancy. The league has now updated the rule and will require teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for all head coach openings. Teams will also be required to interview at least one minority candidate for any availabl coordinator job.
The NFL is immediately instituting changes to the Rooney Rule, requiring clubs interview at least 2 external minority candidates for head coach openings and 1 minority candidate for any coordinator job, I’m told. That's on top of two resolutions up for vote @JimTrotter_NFL noted.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 18, 2020
It has yet to be determined whether the NFL will adopt a proposal that would give teams better draft position if they hire minority head coaches or general managers. Dungy told Tiki Barber and Brandon Tierney he understands the idea of giving teams better draft position as an incentive for hiring minorities, but he's against it.
Check it out:
"I’m not for it personally, but I understand where they’re coming from"@TonyDungy discusses NFL proposal to award draft picks for teams hiring minority coaches
— TikiAndTierney (@TikiAndTierney) May 18, 2020
Full Segment here:https://t.co/V5xBOK5rB8 pic.twitter.com/zZBG1RgWAy
As we wrote about earlier, Louis Riddick opposes the proposal for many of the same reasons.
I think that's a fair take. I'm all for expanded opportunities for minority coaches and executives in the NFL. And, frankly, when left to their own devices, the league's franchises have failed to do the right thing for many years. That's why the Rooney Rule was implemented in the first place. Unfortunately, the rule hasn't helped as much as it could have, which is why it makes sense to amend it, while adding some kind of incentive for doing so.
I don't know if adding draft positioning to the equation is a good idea or not. I'd like to see other proposals on the table. Dungy is clearly against the idea.
You can listen to the entire interview below: