NFL Voids Rams-Haslett Deal Due to Rooney Rule

Turtlepower · 10-25-2008, 04:15 PM

Quote:

The NFL has voided a contract between the St. Louis Rams and Jim Haslett that stipulated if Haslett wins six games, he would become the full-time head coach after this season, ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen has confirmed.

CBSSports.com first reported that the league office informed the Rams that the six-wins clause violated the Rooney Rule, and so the contract was void.

Under the contract, which the Rams discussed with the league but never formally submitted, Haslett would have been able to keep the Rams head coaching job with six wins this season or collect a seven-figure bonus, a league official told Mortensen.

The Rooney Rule was established in 2003 to ensure that minority candidates be interviewed for any head coaching vacancy. The rule does not apply to interim hires in-season from a team's coaching staff.

This was definitely not the intention of the Rooney Rule. Just wow...

bearsfan_51 · 10-25-2008, 04:17 PM

Yes it is. The Rams would make a coaching hire without interviewing any non-white coaches. I understand that it seems a little pedantic, but if you consider that there were almost no non-white coaches before the rule was put in place, it's understandable why.

Bruce Banner · 10-25-2008, 04:18 PM

What a ******* joke.

Turtlepower · 10-25-2008, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bearsfan_51

Yes it is. The Rams would make a coaching hire without interviewing any non-white coaches. I understand that it seems a little pedantic, but if you consider that there were almost no non-white coaches before the rule was put in place, it's understandable why.

I completely agree with the intention of the rule, but I think that cases can be made for interim head coaches to be given the full-time job without a hiring process.

bearsfan_51 · 10-25-2008, 04:21 PM

A case could be made for a lot of circumstances, but if you have the rule you must enforce it or there will be violations across the board. For example, when Jerry Jones "interviewed" Denny Green over the phone before hiring Bill Parcells.

steelersfan43 · 10-25-2008, 04:49 PM

That rule is stupid. I hate rules and **** like that.

yourfavestoner · 10-25-2008, 05:24 PM

Is the same going to apply for a team like the Seahawks and Cowboys who have Jim Mora and Jason Garrett waiting in the wings?

Overall, I think the Rooney rule is a good rule. However, I think a lot of it is a dog and pony show. If you're a good coach these days, people will know who you are and will want you, regardless of race. If anything, I'd be insulted if I was a black guy and some team interviewed me for a job they had no intention of giving me, just so they could fill their minority candidate quota.

princefielder28 · 10-25-2008, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yourfavestoner

Is the same going to apply for a team like the Seahawks and Cowboys who have Jim Mora and Jason Garrett waiting in the wings?

Overall, I think the Rooney rule is a good rule. However, I think a lot of it is a dog and pony show. If you're a good coach these days, people will know who you are and will want you, regardless of race. If anything, I'd be insulted if I was a black guy and some team interviewed me for a job they had no intention of giving me, just so they could fill their minority candidate quota.

The Jim Mora case took place in the offseason so the NFL lets that pass; atleast that's the explanation rotoworld gave.

Xiomera · 10-25-2008, 05:59 PM

I'm glad there's a Rooney rule. It's the only thing stopping the Lions from firing Marinelli and naming Jim Colletto our Head Coach for next season. haha, now that is a scary thought.

GB12 · 10-25-2008, 06:06 PM

Well they're just going to hire Haslett again anyway. Kind of pointless to interview any other candidates, black or white, if they already have their man.

ShutDwn · 10-25-2008, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bearsfan_51

Yes it is. The Rams would make a coaching hire without interviewing any non-white coaches. I understand that it seems a little pedantic, but if you consider that there were almost no non-white coaches before the rule was put in place, it's understandable why.

The rule is good, but in this instance it is a waste of time and probably insulting to whoever they choose to interview in order to fulfill the rule's requirements.

Bruce Banner · 10-25-2008, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShutDwn

The rule is good, but in this instance it is a waste of time and probably insulting to whoever they choose to interview in order to fulfill the rule's requirements.

++, someone gets it.

TitleTown088 · 10-25-2008, 06:35 PM

Never really heard of this rule to tell the truth. Is it similar to affirmative action?

Bruce Banner · 10-25-2008, 06:39 PM

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Originally Posted by TitleTown088

Never really heard of this rule to tell the truth. Is it similar to affirmative action?

It's essentially affirmative action.

ATLDirtyBirds · 10-25-2008, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TitleTown088

Never really heard of this rule to tell the truth. Is it similar to affirmative action?

I'm pretty sure you have to interview a minority for a HC position before you can make anything official.

Paranoidmoonduck · 10-25-2008, 06:40 PM

Yeah, I would like to see some exception made for in-house hirings during a season. Mid-season firings are a special case situation, and if the team thinks they have a replacement already on staff and wishes to make it official, it only hurts the team to not be able to do so.

I don't disaprove of the Rooney Rule, although I find it a little misplaced. It doesn't seem like minority coordinators are being passed over in favor of caucasian coaches, although it may still be true that it's harder to work your way up that far as a minority. Either way, the Rooney Rule doesn't aid that situation in any way.

Quote:

Is the same going to apply for a team like the Seahawks and Cowboys who have Jim Mora and Jason Garrett waiting in the wings?

I imagine it would if the Seahawks or Cowboys offered the guys head coaching contracts midseason. When/if the offseason ends and Holmgren and Phillips are both out, both teams would be forced to conduct interviews beyond the candidates we all know have locks on the job.

P-L · 10-25-2008, 06:43 PM

I think the rule should be edited. If you want to hire within, you can. However, if you want to interview any candidate outside the organization then you have to interview a minority also.

TitleTown088 · 10-25-2008, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Banner

It's essentially affirmative action.

Meh, no me gusta then.

bearsfan_51 · 10-25-2008, 07:09 PM

It only requires that teams interview a minority candidate, they don't have to fill a quoata (most affirmitive action programs don't either for the record).

Most of the time simply being allowed in the interview process has led to a player getting either that job or another down the line. Mike Tomlin, for example, most likely never would have received the Steelers job had he not gotten that initial hire. Likely the same could be said for Lovie Smith.

HawkeyeFan · 10-25-2008, 07:13 PM

Ugh, this is absolute BS.

As to the people talking about the Indianapolis and Seattle ones, it won't void there's because this decision was "made in the offseason".

This is crap, so pretty much if we want to keep him we interview a minority...

Interview:

Chip: Welcome *insert name*
Coach: Thanks, so the interview..?
Chip: Yeah, well we have our guy, its required by the NFL that we waste your time and bring you in for absolutely nothing, so yeah, been a nice interview thanks and good luck.

End of interview.

giantsfan · 10-25-2008, 07:18 PM

This is incredibly moronic. Oh well at least the rams will get to waste some coaches time in the offseason. If I was their GM I'd bring in Denny Green just to ask him about the pats and if they were who we thought they were also.

GB12 · 10-25-2008, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShutDwn

The rule is good, but in this instance it is a waste of time and probably insulting to whoever they choose to interview in order to fulfill the rule's requirements.

Exactly. I wouldn't even want to go to the interview if they contacted me when they already know who they're going to hire.

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-L

I think the rule should be edited. If you want to hire within, you can. However, if you want to interview any candidate outside the organization then you have to interview a minority also.

That's the right solution and hopefully will be changed to that eventually.