Steelers can take lead in NFL racial justice controversy

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores’ racial discrimination lawsuit against the National Football League puts the Pittsburgh Steelers in a position, again, to lead thecharge for change.

While team president Art Rooney II is constrained by being a member of the ownership class named in the lawsuit, he is also compelled by his family’s history of driving reform in the game of football. If he is aware of flagrant violations of the letter or the spirit of the rule named for his late father, Dan, he needs to speak out.

The Rooney Rule is a self-imposed league mandate that teams interview at least one or two minority candidates for every top job opening in a franchise: general manager, head coach and assistants.

Last month, the Miami Dolphins fired its head coach Brian Flores after three seasons. The franchise has been rebuilding, but he led the team to its first pair of consecutive winning seasons since 2002-2003. The Dolphins also won eight of their last nine games this season.

Mr. Flores’ firing came as surprise to much of the football world, but most commentators avoided the elephant in the room: Another Black head coach had been fired after meeting, or beating, expectations on the field. But now that he has taken the extraordinary step of taking on his former team and the league as a whole, it can’t be ignored any longer.

He alleges that the NFL continues to engage in racially discriminatory hiring practices for top coaching and management positions. In his suit, he details interviews with the Giants and the Broncos that he alleges were perfunctory and at odds with the spirit of the Rooney Rule.

Mr. Flores is also in possession of text messages accidentally sent to him by New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick that corroborate his charge that the fix was in, although the Giants deny that it failed to interview Mr. Flores in good faith.

There are 32 teams in the NFL, but with Mr. Flores’ firing there is currently only one Black head coach — Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Mr. Tomlin has also been outspoken about racial justice and the NFL; his prominent role in the team and the league is all the more reason for the Steelers to take the lead.

After all, what are the chances that among all of the great offensive and defensive coordinators, assistant coaches, veteran players and other aspiring head coaches who happen to be Black, that right now only one has been found worthy in a league whose playersare over 70% Black?

If Mr. Flores’ allegations are even partially proved true, it will show that even the Rooney Rule can’t compel the old boys’ club of team owners to do the right thing when it comes to fair hiring practices. Football fans of every persuasion can see with their own eyes on any given Sunday the disparity between rhetoric and real life on the field.

Steelers’ brass has a choice: Circle the wagons with the owners’ club, or stand out, and stand up, for real progress.