IRVING, Texas — The NFL has toughened its standards on a rule that requires teams with head coaching vacancies to interview at least one minority candidate.
The new standards come in apparent response to accusations of teams, including the Oakland Raiders during the last hiring cycle, circumventing the Rooney Rule by interviewing minority candidates not deemed to be legitimate contenders to land the job.
Under the revisions announced by the league Wednesday at an owners’ meeting at a Dallas-area hotel, a team with a head coaching vacancy must interview at least one minority candidate from outside its organization or from the list of recommended candidates compiled by the NFL’s advisory board.