Ryan Clark, a one-time Super Bowl champion and current ESPN NFL analyst, ripped the New England Patriots for how they adhered to the Rooney Rule during their leadership search.
The NFL’s Rooney Rule, established by the NFL’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee in 2003, requires each team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least two or more different candidates for the job. The rule was expanded in 2022 to include interviews for women as part of the “minority candidate definition.”
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Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans on the field before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
The Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their next coach about a week after firing Jerod Mayo. The team interviewed Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich to comply with the Rooney Rule – all done before the playoffs were over.
“I think that kind of shines a light on the Rooney Rule, which to me, the New England Patriots made a mockery of,” Clark said Thursday on “Inside the NFL.” “Interviewing Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich, two coaches who aren’t even in football right now, just to meet a quota.
“The Rooney Rule was put in place so that some of these minority coaches could get opportunities to get in front of some of the managers and some of these owners who were really looking to give the job to the best person. Now I want to make it clear — I believe , that we’ve moved to a point where organizations will hire the best person they feel is for the job, but let’s not have coaches who have worked their whole lives for this opportunity be the token conversation.
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November 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri: Broadcaster Ryan Clark prior to a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
“I think a better solution is for teams that want to skip the Rooney rule, which the New England Patriots probably would have done because they wanted Mike Vrabel, allow them to hire someone at the lower level , who reports directly to the head coach, reports directly to the offensive coordinator, so they could get some of the guidance that allows their resume and career to build.
“Let’s stop with the bull-crap interviews just to say we did what the Rooney Rule was supposed to do. When it was implemented in the first place, I think it worked. It has now run its course and has become something that’s a joke to the NFL and NFL coaches, and more importantly, to the people it’s supposed to help.”
Vrabel has a long history with the Patriots, having won three Super Bowl titles with the team during his playing career.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel smiles as he poses with team owner Robert Kraft, right, during an availability Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
He started his coaching career with the Tennessee Titans in 2018. He was 54-45 with the Titans and led them to three playoff appearances, including an AFC Championship appearance.
