NFL: Browns did not violate Rooney Rule
The Cleveland Browns didn’t violate the Rooney Rule -- which calls for at least one minority candidate to be interviewed for general manager and head coach openings -- when the club hired John Dorsey as GM, a league spokesperson confirmed to Paste BN Sports on Friday.
“The Browns satisfied the Rooney Rule,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in an email to Paste BN Sports. “A team does not have to disclose names of people they interview.”
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Dorsey’s deal with the Browns was finalized Thursday night, hours after the team fired Sashi Brown as executive vice president for football operations. That led many to speculate that the Browns had circumvented the rule. The rule specifies that a team not only must interview a minority candidate, but it cannot conduct a sham interview to satisfy the requirement. The NFL could potentially fine or dock draft picks if that were found to occur.
The Browns told told Paste BN Sports on Thursday that the team complied with the rule, although they did not reveal which minority candidates were interviewed.
NFL.com reported Friday that former Buffalo Bills GM Doug Whaley, who is black, was interviewed by the Browns before Dorsey, who is a former Chiefs GM. ESPN was the first outlet to report the NFL had determined the Browns didn’t violate the rule.
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