NFL Expands Rooney Rule to Include Coordinators, Executives

The NFL has has expanded the Rooney Rule and made a big change in the way teams will be able to restrict personnel from interviewing with competitors going forward.

The league’s owners voted on Tuesday to approve a resolution the prevents teams from blocking assistant coaches from interviewing for coordinator positions and personnel staff from interviewing for assistant general manager positions.

The Rooney Rule, originally put in place in 2003, required teams to interview at least one minority candidate for general manger and head coach positions. That number will now double to at least two minority interviews for those positions, and the rule will be expanded to require at least one minority interview for coordinators and for senior team executive positions. It also now includes female candidates in addition to minorities.

The resolution was put forward by the NFL’s workplace diversity committee, which is chaired by Steelers president Art Rooney II, and approved by the competition committee, which includes Steelers heads coach Mike Tomlin.

“We believe these new policies demonstrate the NFL Owners’ commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the NFL,” Rooney said in an NFL press release.  “The development of young coaches and young executives is a key to our future. These steps will assure coaching and football personnel are afforded a fair and equitable opportunity to advance throughout our football operations. We also have taken important steps to ensure that our front offices, which represent our clubs in so many different ways, come to reflect the true diversity of our fans and our country.”