John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which advocates for minority hires at the top levels of NFL franchises, is pleased with the progress teams have demonstrated this year in following the Rooney Rule.
Vance Joseph and Anthony Lynn, both African-Americans, were hired this week as the coaches of the Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers, respectively. From 2012-16, only one minority landed a job as head coach of an NFL team, when the Jets hired Todd Bowles in 2015, ESPN notes.
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In 2003, the league implemented the Rooney Rule, which mandates teams interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching and other senior football operations jobs. Wooten believes the system is working this year.
"The thing that was extremely gratifying is that there were no token interviews this year," Wooten said, per ESPN. "Several of the guys had two and three interviews. We saw the process operate as it should."
Joseph and Lynn are the first black coaches their teams have ever had.
"As far as being the first black head coach here, I'm honored, I'm proud," Joseph said. "Again, hopefully going forward, that part is not considered any longer. As we go along in the future, it shouldn't matter what color you are. If you can do the job, they should hire you.”