00:00The state of Florida, their attorney general at a press conference yesterday, calling out the NFL and telling the NFL
00:06that they're going to be filing a suit at some point in the near future, suggesting that the Rooney rule,
00:12which for those of you that don't know it by now, is a rule that requires teams that are looking
00:16to replace their head coach.
00:17I think coordinators as well now to interview at least two minority candidates. Minority could be women, could be African
00:26-American men, Latin-American men, just non-white guys.
00:30And obviously, this past hiring season, while every team did play by the rules, none of them, well, Robert Sala
00:37is considered a minority candidate.
00:40He got a job as a head coach.
00:41He did.
00:42Mike McDaniel, who is a coordinator now in L.A., that would have counted for L.A. because I think
00:48his dad is African-American.
00:50So not everybody looks like they might fit that, but I just want to give you an example.
00:54But outside of that, there was not a single African-American hire as head coach.
00:59There were 10 jobs that were filled.
01:01So it's interesting.
01:02The attorney general of Florida goes, you're not allowed to either hire or, I forget the word he actually used.
01:10Matter of fact, let me play it for you here so we get the exact wording of it.
01:13I don't see how the NFL reacts to it.
01:14We'll get our take on it in just a second.
01:15Here's the attorney general of Florida talking about going after the NFL on their Rooney rule.
01:21Go ahead.
01:22I'm attorney general James Uthmeyer.
01:24Next week, the NFL's annual league meeting begins in Phoenix, Arizona, and the NFL draft is only a month away.
01:31Ahead of the annual meeting, my office is sending a letter to the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, regarding the league's
01:38hiring practices.
01:40Specifically, the use of the so-called Rooney rule, which requires NFL teams to interview candidates based on race.
01:47The NFL's use of the Rooney rule violates Florida law by requiring race-based considerations in hiring.
01:54Florida law is clear.
01:56Hiring decisions cannot be based on race.
01:59And the Rooney rule mandates race-based interviews and incentivizes race-based decisions.
02:04That's discrimination.
02:06We're demanding the NFL suspend the Rooney rule, and failure to do so may result in enforcement actions against the
02:14league for race-based discrimination.
02:16NFL teams and their fans don't care about the race.
02:19Florida is suggesting that the Rooney rule, because it's race-based consideration and race-based hiring, violates Florida law.
02:28Now, I'm not sure how that would impact a team in Pennsylvania, a team in New York or California, but
02:34for the teams that do play football in Florida, so the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Jacksville Jaguars, the Miami Dolphins,
02:41the attorney general is saying that those three teams do not have to comply with the Rooney rule because it
02:48violates state law.
02:49Now, this is not a law.
02:51This is the NFL saying, if you want to be a member team for our corporation, these are the rules
02:58you play by.
02:59Now, let me just be clear about this.
03:01Every one of us that has a job has rules.
03:05Those rules might not be rules that would result in you going to prison if you break them, right?
03:13Right.
03:13They're not state laws.
03:14They're not federal laws.
03:15They're the rules of this particular company.
03:18Yes.
03:18Okay, now, a company by law cannot have a rule that obviously flouts the law, obviously, and that's what Florida
03:26is saying here.
03:27So, I think there's two key parts.
03:29There's one where it's the hiring of a minority, and the second part of it is the consideration of a
03:38minority hire.
03:39Right.
03:39I don't think this goes anywhere.
03:41I think this is a little grandstanding by the Florida attorney general, but it will be interesting how it plays
03:48out because if what Florida is saying is understood to be the law of the land, that you cannot make
03:57race-based decisions one way or the other in either who you hire or who you, quote, unquote, even consider
04:05hiring, then this could have legs.
04:08It could.
04:09The tough part I have with it is the hiring versus the consideration part of it.
04:14And they're different.
04:15They're different.
04:15In my opinion.
04:16They are based on practice.
04:18Now, because every single job of the ten interviewed, everybody interviewed at least one black person.
04:25Which is the consideration.
04:27The consideration part.
04:28That part is clear.
04:29Yes.
04:30But zero black people got hired.
04:33Correct.
04:33And I'm saying in this particular head coaching cycle, no one was hired.
04:38Therefore, clearly the rule's not forcing any hiring.
04:43That's correct.
04:43They're forcing the consideration.
04:45Consideration part of it, not the hiring.
04:46They are not forcing any hiring.
04:47And just real quick, all the team has to do is interview two minority candidates.
04:53Right.
04:53And I think, and I've always railed against this aspect of it, I think that's insulting to a qualified candidate
04:59that we're going through the motions because, wink, wink, we have to.
05:03Right.
05:04And you have no chance of getting the job.
05:06Happens all the time.
05:06Now, to be fair, that's the only way Mike Tomlin got his job all those years ago.
05:10And that was one of the best decisions Pittsburgh ever made.
05:13Right.
05:13If they didn't have to interview a black candidate.
05:15They wouldn't.
05:16They wouldn't have.
05:17And we might not even know the name.
05:18Mike Tomlin.
05:19Now, so, it does go both ways a little bit, and I understand for a lot of minority candidates, mostly
05:25black guys we're talking about, the reality is that it's also great experience to go through an interview process, but
05:32I would go home pissed off if I was being used as a pawn so they could check a box,
05:37okay, we interviewed the minority, now let's go look at a real candidate.
05:42Right.
05:42I would be offended by that.
05:43Yeah, the other part that's been tough is that it's been good for some, but someone like Byron Lefkowitz, it
05:50was very bad.
05:50He got a few interviews.
05:52Right.
05:52And then was quickly out of the league completely.
05:55Right.
05:55He allegedly didn't interview well.
05:57And now.
05:58I don't even know what that means.
05:59Right.
05:59So, he goes from being a pretty well thought of office of coordinator.
06:02Right.
06:02To no job at all because the interview process wasn't beneficial for him in that way.
06:08The other part is most of what the NFL does is not capitalism.
06:12What I mean is Americana company like this company and most people's company that are watching it and listening to
06:18this, it's a company that's a capitalistic company.
06:21In the case of the NFL, a lot of things are collectively bargained amongst their 32 members.
06:26Right.
06:26And they make those rules themselves.
06:28Correct.
06:28That's everything from the salary cap down to the Rooney rule.
06:32So, the interesting part is if the Rooney rule isn't valid because it breaks a law, then is the salary
06:39cap that does not exist in the world.
06:42Right.
06:42A salary cap does not exist in the world.
06:43Or do you start going after every other rule they have?
06:45That's the question I have in court.
06:47Yeah, I guess it's interesting.
06:48I don't think the players would have to unite against it, which they can do in their collective bargaining.
06:52Especially if a lawmaker says we have, like, it's the law.
06:56Yeah.
06:56It's interesting because I think the gripe this year, and it's a fair gripe, is, hey, there were 10 openings.
07:03A third of the league had openings.
07:05You can't tell me there's not a single African-American man that's worthy of a head coaching job.
07:10It's, there's just, I don't accept that, right?
07:12Nobody?
07:13Right.
07:13So, but what's interesting is, and I think the NFL's being cute about it, and it would be, that's why
07:18if it goes to court, it would be interesting how it plays out.
Comments