Yes, the Rooney Rule still works, despite recent evidence to the contrary. That comes from none other than the creators of the rule 13 years ago.
And it doesn’t need fixing, as many have suggested in the wake of a sudden stall in hiring head coaches of color. It needs expanding, they say, to reflect how teams now hire coaches.
Now that calling plays, designing offenses and grooming quarterbacks are what owners prioritize in head-coach hirings, says Fritz Pollard Alliance co-founder Cyrus Mehri, it’s time to “enhance” the Rooney Rule to include coordinator hirings — but “in a very limited way.