NFL voids Haslett's contract

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3663474

[ans4e64]

So are you trying to imply that Haslett got shafted? Because its actually better for him.

 

He became the coach of a team that has lost something like 17 of their last 20 games, and has looked to be turning them around. If he became a free agent coach at the end of the year, he'd have every team in need of a coaching vacancy virtually banging down his door. He would probably get a nice, fat deal from an organization that likely is in a better situation than St. Louis, not to mention a fresh start with a lot more money.

 

If they didn't have that rule, he might be stuck with only one option - coaching the dead beat Rams. Now he can pick whatever he wants. He can field offers, and if they don't knock his socks off, he can probably just return to the Rams.

[Steely Dan]

The Rooney rule has good and bad things associated with it just like affirmative action. Interviewing minority candidates that aren't going to, most likely, get the job seems stupid but it does help minority candidates. It gives them interviewing experience and may even lead to a HC job for an overlooked candidate. It was instituted because the NFL has a large black population on the player side and at the time very few black HC's. Unfortunately in this instance it screws Haslett.

[ganesh]

The Rooney rule has good and bad things associated with it just like affirmative action. Interviewing minority candidates that aren't going to, most likely, get the job seems stupid but it does help minority candidates. It gives them interviewing experience and may even lead to a HC job for an overlooked candidate. It was instituted because the NFL has a large black population on the player side and at the time very few black HC's. Unfortunately in this instance it screws Haslett.

 

Exactly....In fact that is how Mike Tomlin got his job with the same Steelers who had instituted the rule...THe Steelers were all set to (or close to) making their former OL coach as the HC after Cowher and then when they invited Tomlin to satisfy the Rooney rule, he blew them away that the Steelers chose to go with Tomlin rather than Russ Grimm.

 

It definitely helps them.

[Fingon]

There is the same proportion of black head coaches as there are black people in the USA population. The rule is extremely archaic, as i seriously doubt anyone is hired/not hired because of race in the NFL. All it does is to force NFL teams to interview one more candidate, so sure... you will get a few surprises every so often. This rule mostly creates the career interviewee, or one who is only selected to be interviewed because he is black... not because he has a shot at the job.

[PromoTheRobot]

And yet would there be many black coaches today if the NFL didn't coerce teams into at least interviewing some black coordinators? The Rooney rule has had the desired effect. It's easy to scoff at it now with the number of black head coaches in the league. (To the point where no one bats an eye when one is fired.) What the Rams did was dumb. Go ahead and make Haslett the promise. Just don't put it in writing.

 

PTR

[Steely Dan]

There is the same proportion of black head coaches as there are black people in the USA population. The rule is extremely archaic, as i seriously doubt anyone is hired/not hired because of race in the NFL. All it does is to force NFL teams to interview one more candidate, so sure... you will get a few surprises every so often. This rule mostly creates the career interviewee, or one who is only selected to be interviewed because he is black... not because he has a shot at the job.

 

Is there the same percentage of black players in the NFL as there is in the USA population. Not even close.

[Fingon]

And yet would there be many black coaches today if the NFL didn't coerce teams into at least interviewing some black coordinators? The Rooney rule has had the desired effect. It's easy to scoff at it now with the number of black head coaches in the league. (To the point where no one bats an eye when one is fired.) What the Rams did was dumb. Go ahead and make Haslett the promise. Just don't put it in writing.

 

PTR

Well, there is a reason why there aren't that many black coaches in the league... and it has nothing to do with race. It simply boils down to the fact that inner-city education isn't very good.. so naturally there aren't many good candidates. Maybe we should get rid of the rooney rule and replace it with one that makes you interview a candidate that grew up in areas with bad schooling?

[Fingon]

Is there the same percentage of black players in the NFL as there is in the USA population. Not even close.

You want me to be honest? It doesn't take the same mental abilities to be a player as it does to be a head coach. That is why there are only 3 (or so) black starting QB's in the NFL. The problem has to do with inner-city schooling, not GM's hiring people because of race.

[Steely Dan]

Well, there is a reason why there aren't that many black coaches in the league... and it has nothing to do with race. It simply boils down to the fact that inner-city education isn't very good.. so naturally there aren't many good candidates. Maybe we should get rid of the rooney rule and replace it with one that makes you interview a candidate that grew up in areas with bad schooling?

 

 

You want me to be honest? It doesn't take the same mental abilities to be a player as it does to be a head coach. That is why there are only 3 (or so) black starting QB's in the NFL. The problem has to do with inner-city schooling, not GM's hiring people because of race.

 

Holy crap! The boards gone back to 1950!!

[Saint Doug]

This really has nothing to do with race. The Rams want a particular guy and the NFL will not let them sign and retain him. Do they do this in any other field? This is just going to set up sham interviews at the end of the season - actually a detriment to the interviewing black candidates, a waste of their time. If I was black and looking for a HC job, I would refuse to interview there.

 

As for Haslett, he already had his chance at a HC job and couldn't get it done. I sure he would be thrilled to have another HC gig wrapped up. Instead, his future hangs in the air. Having an unstable job like this would make anyone of us very uncomfortable.

 

And how is this any different than our situation with Jauron? Suppose we give him an extension and the NFL rejects it and says we need to interview black candidates before we grant him an extension. You may say "well, he was already the Bills coach." Well, Haslett was already the Rams head coach too.

[MartyBall4Buffalo]

Holy crap! The boards gone back to 1950!!

 

 

Inner city education isn't very good, but yeah the context of his statements is pretty bad. Making it look like 100% of the black race involved in pro football, strictly comes from the ghetto is quite naive. Although I will say sadly the fact there aren't more black coaches comes from this old school train of thought. Kind of like an old boys club. It's sad that even someone as good as a Tony Dungy can't really change the perception. Ideally it would be fantastic if he had less to do about race, and more about credentials. One day maybe. In this case I don't like the Rooney Rule. Again it should be about credentials. I hate the whole context of giving an interview, when you want someone else, who can help your team. It shouldn't be about fluffing up others. Knowing full well they won't even get the job. I believe it was Denny Green who said something along the lines of. Why would someone interview for a job, they know they're not gonna get, just for the hell of it?

[Cynical]

Holy crap! The boards gone back to 1950!!

 

 

Yes! "Separate but Equal", McCarthyism, pre-feminism, ...

 

What "Amerika" was like before the commie libs and the activist judges started giving away god fearing white man's rights like candy ...

 

[/sarcasm]

[Saint Doug]

Just out of curiosity, how many black candidates interviews for the Comish job?

[mchammer]

Holy crap! The boards gone back to 1950!!

 

At least in 1950 kids came out of high school knowing how to read, write and do basic math. Ever been to a fast food restaurant and notice the casher has no idea what change to give you unless the register tells them.

[Albany,n.y.]

I think the rule is ridiculous as it is currently enforced. Why do the Seahawks get to name an assistant coach (Mora) as their 2009 head coach, yet if Jim Haslett completely turns around the Rams, they are not allowed to hire him without some kind of mock set of interviews? If the NFL wants to be consistent-Void Mora's contract!

The interview process will be a joke. Say they bring in Fewell for an interview in St. Louis. They ask him: How many games did you win as head coach with our team last year? He says zero. Then they ask Haslett: How many games did you win as head coach with our team last year? He says six (or whatever it ends up as). They say "You're Hired"

There has to be factor in there for reason and logic. Under the current rules, Jeff Fisher, one of the elite coaches in the game today, would have had to compete with guys who had no knowledge of the Oilers after his interim season.

Bill Polian would have had to gone through a set of sham interviews before hiring the one guy, Marv Levy, he was going to hire the moment he was named GM.

Fix it so that you can hire guys who have put their time in & produced for your organization and stop the nonsense of the current system that allows Jim Mora to be named head coach without producing a single win as head coach of the Seahawks, yet does not permit a successful interim coach to be given the job without sham interviews of guys the organization has ZERO intent of hiring.

[The Dean]

This really has nothing to do with race. . Do they do this in any other field? This is just going to set up sham interviews at the end of the season - actually a detriment to the interviewing black candidates, a waste of their time. If I was black and looking for a HC job, I would refuse to interview there.

 

As for Haslett, he already had his chance at a HC job and couldn't get it done. I sure he would be thrilled to have another HC gig wrapped up. Instead, his future hangs in the air. Having an unstable job like this would make anyone of us very uncomfortable.

 

And how is this any different than our situation with Jauron? Suppose we give him an extension and the NFL rejects it and says we need to interview black candidates before we grant him an extension. You may say "well, he was already the Bills coach." Well, Haslett was already the Rams head coach too.

 

You seem to have some things confused, here. The NFL doesn't get involved in contract extensions of sitting Head Coaches (like Jauron) that were hired under the NFL guidelines. When the Bills hired Jauron, they interviewed a number of people (minority candidates included). Jauron can be renewed as often as Buffalo wants, without having to check in with the NFL.

 

You state "The Rams want a particular guy and the NFL will not let them sign and retain him". Again, that is not true. The NFL will NOT stop the Rams from hiring Haslett, as long as they have followed the NFL procedures for hiring HCs. No team that has followed the procedures, has had their HC hire rejected by the NFL.

 

You also said "This is just going to set up sham interviews at the end of the season - actually a detriment to the interviewing black candidates, a waste of their time. If I was black and looking for a HC job, I would refuse to interview there." Well, here's the deal. The NFL doesn't force people to interview for jobs. If a person feels the way you do, they do not have to interview. But, too many Black candidates have stated that the "sham interviews" (as you call them) have been enormously helpful. Most Head Coaches don't get the first job they interview for, but the experience of interviewing helps them in the future. You certainly are very unlikely to get a job you DON"T interview for. If a Black candidate really impresses an owner and/or GM in an interview, they may not get that job...but they get noticed. They may have a shot the next time the team hires. Without the first interview, would they have that shot? Also, owners and GMS talk to each other, and a candidate that impresses could be discussed. Finally, of course, the public buzz of one guy getting mentioned for various jobs can't help but improve his chances to get considered for a job, down the line. Don't fool yourself by believing this system has no value.

[Wacka]

The Niners just named Singletary HC. If he wins a bunch of games do they have to bring in white candidates for interviews at the end of the season?

[The Dean]

The Niners just named Singletary HC. If he wins a bunch of games do they have to bring in white candidates for interviews at the end of the season?

 

 

That is an excellent question. If I were the 49ers, I certainly would do a series of interviews.

 

But, I don't think hiring Singletary without the process would violate the NFL policy. It's very clear the policy is meant to rectify some of the built-in injustices in the system. As people hire those they know, coached with, have heard of, and those who once had the job, the bias is toward "cronyism"...the old (usually White) by network. The requirement of interviewing minority candidates simply gets other names in the process, gives them opportunities to interview, gets their name out there...and sometimes gets them jobs. In 10-15 years, Black coaches will be fairly entrenched in the old boy network, and probably won't need the leg-up.

[Arkady Renko]

To me, a good metric on the hiring of minority HCs would be looking at what percentage of head coaches are former NFL players and then seeing if that percentage matches up with the number of black players that has normally been in the league. Not all HCs come from the player ranks.