NFL Insider accuses Patriots of 'blatantly sidestep' Rooney Rule
Today at 07:46 PM
The New England Patriots have parted ways with head coach Jerod Mayo after just one season, meaning the search for their next head coach is now underway.
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel has emerged as a top candidate for the job, but Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports believes the Patriots have ignored the Rooney Rule in their pursuit of Vrabel.
“The NFL’s Rooney Rule has been around for years, but watching teams blatantly sidestep its intent never stops being frustrating. The #Patriots checked the box by interviewing Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton — high quality coaches, but clearly not the front-runners for the job. Everyone knows it. Now, with that formality out of the way, they’re free to move forward and hire Mike Vrabel as soon as Thursday. At least pretend it’s more than a technicality. This isn’t just about compliance — it's about respect. To the candidates. To the process. To the league itself. It shouldn’t be this way,” Schultz said via Twitter/X.
The Rooney Rule, named after Dan Rooney, was adopted in 2003 and encourages NFL teams to hire minority candidates for leadership positions such as head coach and general manager.
As Schultz mentioned, the Patriots did interview Leftwich, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, and Pep Hamilton, who most recently served as the offensive coordinator of the Houston Texans in 2022, but believes it was simply a formality.
The NFL’s DEI committee has proposed changes to strengthen the Rooney Rule, such as requiring teams to interview two diverse candidates for general manager, head coach and coordinator interviews. Teams would also be required to interview a diverse candidates, including women, for coordinator positions.
What went wrong for Jerod Mayo as the Patriots’ HC?
The Patriots went 4-13 in Mayo’s one season at the helm of the franchise. They beat the Buffalo Bills 23-16 in their season finale, costing themselves the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft believes Mayo was put in a difficult position to succeed as the Patriots head coach.
“This whole situation is on me. I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation,” Kraft said. “I know that he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job. In the end, I’m a fan of this team first, and now, I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and hopefully championships.”
Mayo will look for another opportunity with a different NFL team and aim to have a more successful tenure.
The post NFL Insider accuses Patriots of ‘blatantly sidestep’ Rooney Rule appeared first on ClutchPoints.
