The fact that the Washington Post continues to mention the NFL’s Rooney Rule when a minority candidate is interviewed for the Washington Redskins head coach job is a disservice and a slap in the face to affirmative action efforts everywhere. . In a recent Post sports column, “Colts Meeks talks to the Redskins,” the reporter should have just mentioned that he’s a great coach without mentioning the color, but instead, after stating that he was the fifth candidate for the job. added the disclaimer that the interview “complies with the NFL’s Rooney rule” … stipulating that a team must interview a minority candidate. Did you ever think about the impact of this warning? Was there any consideration of how this would make Ron Meeks feel about the interview? Were you selected for the interview just because you are a minority so as not to have repercussions from the league?

That inclusion of the Rooney Rule in the article has no purpose, they are incredulous and unprincipled comments that have nothing to do with the qualifications of Mr. Meeks. How would any applicant feel for any position they read the next day that they helped the company they interviewed meet some directed affirmative action requirement? I don’t think anyone is very confident that they are being seriously considered for the position. Ron Meeks should have been interviewed solely because he is a great defensive coach who is now in line for a head coach position in the NFL.

Any good faith affirmative action effort is supposed to be just that. A good faith effort to ensure that employers have the opportunity to interview all qualified candidates of their race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, disability, gender, or any other protected category and that all have equal opportunities for the position. With the Washington Post stating that Mr. Meeks helped the Washington Redskins meet the requirement of the Rooney Rule, it basically paints the picture of an “Affirmative Action Candidate Only” stamp on an excellently qualified candidate. It is time to leave the rule unpublished in the media and keep it as an internal rule for the league that has good intentions. It should not be transmitted and attached to every person you interview who “meets” this requirement. Interviewing a variety of qualified candidates should be the right thing to do, not something any organization does just to protect itself.