Raiders cleared of ‘Rooney’ violation

The NFL said Friday that the Raiders complied with the “Rooney Rule” when they hired Jon Gruden as head coach.

The league said a review found the Raiders conducted “bona fide” interviews with minority candidates during their search for a replacement for Jack Del Rio, who was fired after a disappointing sixwin season. The “Rooney Rule” requires NFL teams to consider at least one minority candidate before making an offer to a head coaching candidate. The team officially hired Gruden on Jan. 6. The Fritz Pollard Alliance, which had called for an investigation out of concern that Raiders owner Mark Davis came to an agreement with Gruden before the team interviewed any minority candidates, released a statement saying the NFL made the wrong call in not penalizing Davis.

CARDINALS: Back when Bruce Arians announced his retirement, Arizona team president Michael Bidwill said he would be in no rush to find a new coach.

But while the Cardinals have followed their methodical, and quite secretive, process, the pool of potential candidates has dwindled.

Six of the nine candidates initially interviewed by Bidwill and general manager

Steve Keim are still an option: Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Eagles defensive coordinator

Jim Schwartz, Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores, Cardinals defensive coordinator James Boettcher and Falcons special teams coach Keith Armstrong. TITANS: Tennessee has interviewed three candidates in its search for a new coach and none have had any NFL head coaching experience. Rams offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur was the third to interview for the job. DOLPHINS: The team announced changes in Adam Gase’s coaching staff, including the hiring of Dowell Loggains as offensive coordinator.