NFL finds Raiders complied with Rooney Rule
Team followed mandate concerning minority candidates
The NFL has determined the Raiders fully complied with the Rooney Rule in hiring Jon Gruden as head coach, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email to the Bay Area News Group on Friday morning.
“The NFL confirmed today that its review of the hiring of Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden complied with the Rooney Rule and that the club conducted bona fide interviews with minority candidates as part of its search process,” the NFL’s statement read.
After owner Mark Davis said last Tuesday he felt Gruden was “all in” on becoming Oakland’s next head coach when the two met in Philadelphia a week before Jack Del Rio’s firing, the Fritz Pollard Alliance called for the league to investigate.
The Fritz Pollard Alliance advocates for minority hirings in the NFL, and the Rooney Rule states teams must interview at least one minority candidate for head coach and general manager openings. Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said at Gruden’s introductory press conference that both former Raiders tight ends coach Bobby Johnson and USC offensive coordinator Tee Martin were minority candidates interviewed for the head-coaching spot.
Fritz Pollard Alliance’s counsel released the following statement last week, after which the NFL confirmed it would investigate the Raiders for a potential violation:
“We are deeply concerned by reports that the Oakland Raiders’ owner, Mark Davis, came to an agreement with Jon Gruden about him becoming the Raiders’ next head coach before interviewing any candidates of color,” the statement said. “If so, the Club violated the Rooney Rule, which was instituted by the NFL in 2003 and requires teams to interview at least one candidate of color for open head coaching and general manager positions.
“As soon as we learned of the reports, we formally requested that the NFL thoroughly investigate the matter to conclusively determine whether the Rooney Rule was violated — and if it was violated, to impose an appropriate punishment.”
The league determined Friday that Davis didn’t come to an agreement with Gruden before interviewing Johnson and Martin, which means the Raiders won’t face a hefty fine that probably would have been imposed had they violated the Rooney Rule.
The NFL fined then-Detroit Lions general manager Matt Millen $200,000 in 2003 after violating the rule in hiring Steve Mariucci as head coach.