CANTON, Ohio (AP) – Tony Dungy would like to see the NFL’s Rooney Rule used in the manner it was intended.
The new Pro Football Hall of Fame member said Friday that he doesn’t believe teams are “following the spirit of the rule now.” The rule, designed by and named after Steelers owner Dan Rooney, requires teams to interview minority candidates for coaching and front office positions.
“What it was designed to do is slow the process down and for teams to investigate candidates,” said Dungy, the first black coach to win a Super Bowl. “Then you can look at the whole sphere of candidates.
“Teams still want to get a coach (quickly) and fill a staff. People who do their homework will unearth good coaches if they investigate everything.”
He pointed to Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin and Arizona’s Bruce Arians as examples of coaches who got jobs because teams were thorough in their searches.