Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL is trying to bait teams into being diverse.
The Rooney Rule, around since 2003 in hopes of ensuring minority candidates have a chance at head-coaching gigs, has not been enough to diversify the coaching ranks.
So a league that has just three head coaches of color (Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, the Chargers’ Anthony Lynn and Miami’s Brian Flores) is getting creative.
According to the league’s own website, the NFL will discuss a few resolutions on Tuesday during virtual owners meetings that are intended to reward teams that make minority hires.
The most eye-opening and surely controversial idea on the table is improving the draft positions of teams that bring in and keep a minority head coach. In the draft before the coach’s second season, that team’s third-round pick would move up six slots.
Additionally, only two of the 32 teams have a general manager of color. So, a team that hires a minority GM would jump up 10 spots in that year’s third round. Hire and keep both, your team moves up 16 spots and possibly into the middle of the second round.
There are further reported incentives, including a team’s fourth-round pick sliding up five spots before the coach’s or GM’s third year with the team. If teams won’t make minority hires on their own, the NFL wants to coerce them into diversity.