MOBILE, Ala. — The agent for former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said the Lions conducted a sham interview with his client only to satisfy the NFL's Rooney Rule.
Austin, Lions defensive coordinator in 2014-17, was one of two in-house candidates and two minorities who interviewed for the head coaching job after Jim Caldwell was fired following the 2017 season.
Caldwell went 36-28 in four seasons with the Lions. He led the organization to two playoff appearances, including an 11-5 record in 2014 — the franchise's best mark since 1991 — but was let go two years after the Lions fired general manager Martin Mayhew and president Tom Lewand at midseason.