Raiders were onside with Rooney Rule, says NFL
The NFL has determined that the Oakland Raiders complied with the Rooney Rule, in its view, during the process that led to the hiring of Jon Gruden as the team’s coach.
The league reviewed the matter after the Fritz Pollard Alliance, the diversity group that works closely with the NFL on its minority hiring practices, asked for an investigation based on concerns about the possibility that the Raiders had a deal with Gruden in place before interviewing minority candidates for the job.
Under the rule, named for late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, each NFL team with a head coaching vacancy must interview at least one minority candidate. The NFL fined former Detroit Lions president Matt Millen US$200,000 in 2003 for failing to comply and, at the time, threatened a fine of $500,000 or more for any future violation.
The Raiders said they complied with the rule by interviewing Bobby Johnson, their tight ends coach, and Tee Martin, the offensive co-ordinator at the University of Southern California.
The Fritz Pollard Alliance said last week it was “deeply concerned by reports” that Raiders owner Mark Davis had reached an agreement with Gruden before interviewing any minority candidates, which would constitute a violation of the rule, according to the group. Both the Fritz Pollard Alliance and the league previously had said the Raiders complied.
Gruden signed a 10-year contract worth as much as $100 million to return to coaching from ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast booth. ESPN, still his employer at the time, reported on the day before the Raiders’ season finale that the team was readying a lucrative contract offer to try to lure Gruden back to coaching. The Raiders fired Jack Del Rio as their coach on the same day their season ended.