Pittsburgh Steelers team president Art Rooney Jr. acknowledged this week that the NFL has room to improve in regards to hiring minority candidates for openings at head coach and general manager.
Two of seven head-coaching vacancies were filled by minority candidates this offseason, according to the Associated Press. Among 27 candidates known to have interviewed this offseason, 16 were white and 11 were people of color, the outlet reported.
While some see the demographics of the candidates as progress, Rooney conceded the work of leveling the playing field is far from over.
"There's still work to be done in this area, no question about it," Rooney said Thursday.
Among the crop of new coaching hires, the Jets' Robert Saleh and the Texans' David Culley join Brian Flores of the Dolphins, Mike Tomlin of the Steelers, and Ron Rivera of Washington as the league's only minority coaches.
One African-American head coach, Anthony Lynn of the Chargers, was relieved of his duties after four years at the helm.
Meanwhile two candidates of color were tabbed for front office jobs, with Terry Fontenot being hired by the Saints, and the Lions hiring Brad Holmes.
Rooney said the coaching results were disappointing, but the executive hires were encouraging.
"We didn't make as much progress on the head-coaching side as we would have liked," Rooney said. "But I would say we did make some progress on the general manager side, which is encouraging. And then we'll have to look on the coordinator side to see how much progress we make on that front."
Last offseason the league expanded its famous Rooney Rule, named after Rooney's late father, which was first launched in 2003 in an attempt to increase interview opportunities for candidates of color.
The new stipulations call for teams to interview at least two minority candidates for head coaching vacancies, at least one such candidate for coordinator openings, and at least one candidate from outside the hiring team's organization for front-office roles.
The league also approved a policy which awards extra draft picks to teams that hire minority coaches and executives.
One notable minority candidate who was left out in the cold is Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Long considered one of the maestro's of the Chiefs' high-octane offense, Bieniemy has curiously been shut out for two offseasons in a row despite presiding over one of the best units in the league.
Other reported candidates included former head coaches Marvin Lewis, Raheem Morris, Leslie Frazier, Todd Bowles and Jim Caldwell.
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January 30, 2021 at 10:08PM
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Steelers president says 'still work to be done' in NFL's minority hiring - 93.7 The Fan
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