A conservative authorized group is taking motion in opposition to the NFL after submitting a federal civil rights criticism in opposition to the league on Tuesday, claiming that the league’s interview coverage selling various management violates the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
America First Legal (AFL) filed the criticism claiming that the Rooney Rule is a “clear violation” of the regulation, which “prohibits hiring practices that limit, segregate, or classify applicants for employment because of race, color, and/or sex,” the group stated in a press launch.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell visits with referees earlier than kickoff between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on September 7, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
“Effectively, in the twenty years that the Rooney Rule has been in existence, all it has done — according to minority interviewees for head coaching positions and the former head of the NFL Players Association DeMaurice Smith — is result in member clubs engaging in sham interviews with minority candidates solely to check the Rooney Rule box,” the press launch learn.
“Given the limited timeframe to hire executives and coaches after the season, this results in fewer opportunities for similarly situated, well-qualified candidates who are not minorities.”
The Rooney Rule, adopted in 2003 and named after late Pittsburgh Steelers proprietor Dan Rooney, has expanded its scope through the years.
In May 2022, the league introduced one other change that might require all 32 golf equipment to make use of a feminine or a member of an ethnic or racial minority to function an offensive assistant coach starting this previous season.
NFL brand on the sector earlier than the sport between the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium on December 3, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Colts defeated the Titans 31-28. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
DEMAURICE SMITH WANTS NFL TO ELIMINATE ROONEY RULE IN FINAL MOVE AS NFLPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Last month, the league employed 4 minority head coaches bringing the overall to 9 for the upcoming season — essentially the most in league historical past.
Tuesday’s filings problem the notion that the interview coverage is definitely extra inclusive.
“When millions of Americans tune in to the Super Bowl, they will be watching meritocracy in action; the best players, on the best teams, with the best coaches. Yet, every year during this time NFL teams must follow the ‘Rooney Rule’ and interview prospective coaches and executives, not because of their skill and hard work, but rather because of the color of their skin,” America First Legal Senior Advisor Ian Prior stated in an announcement.
A flag lays on the bottom in entrance of the NFL brand throughout a recreation between the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers, November 26, 2023 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. (Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire through Getty Images)
“This process is not only insulting and condescending to prospective coaches who are merely interviewed to check a box, but it is also the exact kind of racial balancing that the Supreme Court of the United States has unequivocally denounced as illegal and anathema to equal protection under the law.”
He continued, “If the National Football League truly wants to end discrimination in the employment process, then the NFL should stop discriminating in the employment process, follow the meritocratic system it displays on the field, and eliminate the Rooney Rule.”
The NFL didn’t instantly reply to Fox News Digital’s request for remark.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/legal-group-files-civil-rights-complaint-against-nfl-over-rooney-rule-insulting-condescending
