During his annual pre-Super Bowl press conference, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell strongly defended the Rooney Rule and pledged the league would continue its DEI hiring initiative. Speaking in front of a large group of reporters, Goodell defended its practices to create more opportunities and diversity throughout the league.
“Any time you go through a good process, and I think the Rooney Rule is a part of that process and an important part of that process, there’s more to it,” Goodell told reporters when asking about the rule’s effectiveness. “It’s only one aspect of our policies. But I think going through that is obviously a very positive step.”
The Rooney Rule has come under criticism in recent years for what many believe have become sham interviews. Teams simply checking boxes that require minority candidates to be interviewed before hires can become official. In New England, Mike Vrabel was expected to receive the job, but the Patriots had to fulfill the rule, interviewing Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich, two people who didn’t even coach in 2024. They had little chance to receive the job, and the interviews reportedly received internal blowback.
The same situation played out in Dallas for defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, widely reported as the team’s hire but delayed as the Cowboys interviewed other candidates to fulfill the Rooney Rule.
Goodell said the league receives and weighs feedback from candidates, especially those who don’t believe they were given a fair shake.
“We speak to them about the sincerity and the thoroughness of an interview to make sure that we’re doing that in a proper fashion. So I think all of the steps that have been made are followed-up, evaluated, and feel comfortable that it’s being done the right way.”
The policy was implemented in 2003 and named after the late Steelers owner and Chairman Dan Rooney, who advocated for the league to be more exclusive with a more diverse coaching staff.
Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark came out against the rule, believing it should either be dramatically changed or eliminated entirely.
“NFL teams are entitled to hire who they feel is best for the coaching job, and at head coach, I believe that’s moved beyond color,” Clark said last month. “Now, it’s time to create better resume & career-building opportunities for a minority to combat nepotism.”
There was one minority head coach hire in the 2025 cycle: the New York Jets hired Aaron Glenn as their next head coach (this assumes New Orleans hires Kellen Moore after the Super Bowl, which is universally expected to occur). The league has increased the number of minority head coaches, including Mike Tomlin, the longest-tenured head coach in football, but the number still makes up a fraction of the league.
Still, Goodell defended all exclusivity practices, noting the Rooney Rule only requires interviews, not hires, and the value of a DEI approach in other roles.
“We got into diversity efforts because we felt it was the right thing for the National Football League,” he told reporters. “And we’re gonna continue to those efforts because we’ve not only convinced ourselves, I think we’ve proven ourselves that it does make the NFL better.
“So we’re not in this because it’s a trend to get in it or a trend to get out of it. Our efforts are fundamental in trying to attract the best possible talent into the National Football League. Both on and off the field.”
As has been the league’s approach for most of Goodell’s tenure, the league is intent on preserving and expanding the Rooney Rule, not contracting it.
