In 2003 the NFL, facing the threat of potential lawsuits, enacted what has become known as the “Rooney Rule,” named after the chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dan Rooney. The rule stated that for all coaching and general manager job openings, a minority candidate had to at the very least get an interview. The penalty for not doing so was a stiff fine. At the time, only 6% of the NFL coaching jobs were held by a minority. The idea was that by getting minority candidates in front of a franchise’s top brass, these applicants would at least get a fair shake at a job for which they may have very well been looked over. The rule had overtones of affirmative action in the corporate world. The $9 billion NFL is, essentially, a very big corporation.
By 2006, the Rooney Rule seemed to be a spectacular success. Just three years after enactment, 22% of coaches in the league were minorities. That year, the rule was hailed as “effective” in a comprehensive New York University School of Law study.