Cleveland May Have Botched the Rooney Rule

 

When asked to count to two, Mr. Haslam held up only one thumb, indicating a lack of fundamental understanding of mathematics. 

The Cleveland Browns cannot hire a coach.  At all.  The reason is that they have not complied with the Rooney Rule, which requires the team to interview two (2) black or minority candidates from outside the organization.  Currently their total stands at zero, with one interview scheduled. Let's see, is one equal to or greater than two?  No it is not, Mr. Haslam.  One is fewer than two, and therefore your team is out of compliance. 

Right now, Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase is the only African American scheduled for an interview.  However, this must await the end of the Rams' season, which has not happened yet.  Last time we checked, they are still in the playoffs.  The Rooney rule may not be satisfied until after the Super Bowl if the Rams wind up going to the Dance.  

Worse, they scheduled an interview with Mike McDaniel, who refused to interview with the Browns, opting instead to be the Offensive Coordinator for the LA Chargers.  Hence the number of Rooney Rule interviews is zero at this time.  

How can you guys be this stupid? The first thing you should do is comply with the rules, especially if your plan the entire time is to hire from the inside; e.g., Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz.  

Now, if they hurry out and find some minority candidate for Head Coach, it will be altogether obvious that it is only for compliance purposes.  The Browns will look terrible and stupid (as usual).  Don't forget, the Browns are being sued by Brian Flores and other coaches on the grounds that the Rooney Rule is a sham, and this episode will probably become Exhibit A. 

Alternatively, the Browns may have little choice but to hire Nathan Scheelhaase to avoid looking like idiots and getting in trouble with the league.  In that case, they do not have to find a sham interview to comply with the Rooney Rule. 

Ironically, Northeast Ohio and the Browns have historically been way out in front in terms of allowing African Americans and other minorities to participate in professional football.  The Browns have had way more black GMs (Ray Farmer, Sashi Brown, Andrew Berry), black/minority HCs (Terry Robiskie, Romeo Crennel, Hue Jackson), black quarterbacks (David Mays, Spergon Wynn, Seneca Wallace, Jeff Garcia, Thad Lewis, Jason Campbell, Robert Griffin III, Deshone Kizer, Tyrod Taylor, Jacoby Brissett, Deshaun Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker, Jameis Winston, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders) than any other NFL team.  Don't forget that Jim Thorpe played here, and Fritz Pollard played and coached in Akron Ohio from the get-go in 1920.  This, however, is not an excuse for not being on top of the rulebook. 

The Browns may have little choice but to hire Nathan Scheelhaase to avoid looking like idiots and getting in trouble with the league. 

The Browns were racially integrated from their inception in 1946, but nevertheless have had trouble complying with the Rooney Rule in 2026.