Steve Harvey's negotiating skills had NFL stars in splits

The NFL has had issues with racial diversity when it comes to hiring Black head coaches. During the 2020 NFL Honors, Emmy Award-winner and comedian Steve Harvey attempted to negotiate to get just one Black head coach in the league.

In a hilarious monologue, Harvey commented that he would give teams white cornerbacks in exchange.

Harvey said:

"If you give us one Black coach, just one, we gonna give y'all two white cornerbacks. You ain't got none. Don't you want some white cornerbacks? We want a black coach. Now here's the deal. I'm going to be fair. I do not recommend putting him on the same team."

While Steve Harvey's joke gave the crowd, which featured a number of NFL stars, a good laugh, the lack of diversity in the NFL he was speaking about was no laughing matter. In the 2019 season, there were just three Black head coaches: Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers), Anthony Lynn (Los Angeles Chargers), and Brian Flores (Miami Dolphins).

There was also a lack of diversity with respect to offensive and defensive coordinators. Five people of color filled the roles of coordinators in the 2019 season.

However, the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney had a rule named after him in 2003 to make sure minority candidates received an equal opportunity to interview for head coaching positions.

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What is the Rooney Rule and how does it apply to NFL minority candidates?

The league adopted the Rooney Rule based on recommendations made by its Workplace Diversity Committee. The committee’s original focus was on a significantly lower total of minorities in head coaching roles. The policy initially made it a requirement for teams with head coaching vacancies to interview at least one or more minority candidates prior to hiring.

Since its inception, the Rooney Rule has grown to incorporate a larger number of roles across franchises. The rule was modified in 2009 to include general manager jobs and similar front-office positions, requiring each team to speak to two external minority candidates at a minimum.

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