NFLPA Director DeMaurice Smith Advocates for Scrapping the Rooney Rule

DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, has advocated for scrapping the Rooney Rule, a policy that requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operations jobs.

Smith made his comments in an interview with The New York Times on Tuesday. He said that the Rooney Rule has not been effective in increasing the number of minority head coaches in the NFL.

"The Rooney Rule has been in place for over 15 years, and we haven't seen any significant progress," Smith said. "In fact, the number of minority head coaches has actually decreased in recent years."

The Rooney Rule was implemented in 2003. Since then, there have been only 12 minority head coaches in the NFL, and only two of those coaches are currently employed.

Smith said that the Rooney Rule has become a "box-checking exercise" for NFL teams. He said that teams are simply interviewing minority candidates to comply with the rule, but they are not actually serious about hiring them.

"The Rooney Rule is not working," Smith said. "It's time to scrap it and come up with something new."

Smith's comments have been met with mixed reactions. Some people have agreed with him, saying that the Rooney Rule is not effective. Others have said that the Rooney Rule is still important, and that it has helped to increase the number of minority candidates who are interviewed for head coaching jobs.

The NFL has not yet responded to Smith's comments. However, the league is likely to review the Rooney Rule in the coming months.

Here are some of the potential implications of scrapping the Rooney Rule:

• NFL teams would no longer be required to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operations jobs.
• This could lead to a decrease in the number of minority candidates who are interviewed for these jobs.
• It could also lead to a decrease in the number of minority head coaches in the NFL.

The decision of whether or not to scrap the Rooney Rule is a complex one. There are pros and cons to both sides of the argument. The NFL will need to carefully consider all of the factors before making a decision.