rooney rule

The Rooney Rule is a National Football League policy that requires league teams to interview ethnic-minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation jobs. Initially, the program mandated interviews with underrepresented minority groups, aligning with modern diversity, equity, and inclusion principles. However, since 2022, the program has shifted toward affirmative action, incorporating hiring quotas that prioritize minority candidates. The first actual hiring quota was established before the 2022 season, mandating that at least one member of each team's offensive coaching staff must be either an ethnic minority or a woman. The Rooney Rule was established in 2003, and variations of the rule are now in place in other industries.

The rule is named after Dan Rooney, the former owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and former chairman of the league's diversity committee.