The Cleveland Browns appear to have the weekend off in their chase for a head coach to replace the fired Kevin Stefanski, and there is some mounting frustration with a process that seems to have exposed holes in the organization and the more general feeling that no one really wants this head coaching job. To make matters worse, the three candidates who went through with their interviews are all white, putting the Browns in violation of the NFL’s Rooney Rule.
To take a step back, the Browns never got consideration from what was believed to be their top candidate, John Harbaugh, who took the Giants‘ head-coaching job without engaging much with Cleveland. Then, after a round of video-link first interviews, the Browns compiled a list of six candidates to interview in person for the job. But two of the six–ex-Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel and Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter–withdrew from consideration.
Minter is the new coach of the Ravens, replacing Harbaugh. McDaniel is taking the Chargers’ offensive coordinator job, though he is also still a candidate for the newly opened Buffalo Bills job. Veterans Jim Schwartz and Todd Monken interviewed already, and 30-year-old Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski interviewed Friday.
Browns Rooney Rule Violation Stems From Mike McDaniel Decision
Still on the candidate list is Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, who is a minority and is expected to interview after the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. McDaniel is a minority, too, which means the Browns had planned to comply with the Rooney Rule, which says that teams must do in-person interviews with two minority candidates. But because McDaniel pulled out, the Browns are on a collision course to violate the rule.
The NFL can hit the Browns with harsh penalties if they do, including a fine and the docking of draft picks. It’s potentially a very harsh penalty. But it’s only happened once before, in 2003, when the Lions hired Steve Mariucci and paid a $200,000 fine for the Rooney Rule violation. Detroit did not lose draft picks.
Still, that was 23 years ago. There’s no telling how the league office will react to the Browns’ situation now.
The Browns’ options are, first, to proceed with its interviews, make a hire in violation of the Rooney Rule, and plead with the NFL that McDaniel pulling out foiled their plans. The second option is to scurry to find another candidate to interview, though everyone will know it is not a candidate the team is seriously considering. That would demean the spirit of the rule.
GettyMike McDaniel, formerly of of the Miami Dolphins, pulled out of an interview for the Cleveland Browns job.
Browns Still Could Bring in Another Minority Candidate
Longtime Cleveland reporter Jason Lloyd said on, “The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show,” that the hand-wringing and pearl-clutching over the Browns violating the Rooney Rule is way overblown. Bringing in a token candidate would be worse.
Said Lloyd: “For people to say, like, ‘I can’t believe they’re this far in and they’re not even Rooney Rule compliant.’ Well, yeah, because they’re trying not to make a mockery of it, guys. It just bothers me that people are looking at this like, ‘Can we just bring a Black guy from Walmart off the street and talk to him to get that out of the way?’ It’s incredibly insulting.”
‘Sham Interview’ Makes Mockery of Rooney Rule
Lloyd went on to say that the Browns will most likely just proceed, perhaps hire Scheelhaase, then face the punishment from the league. The fact that McDaniel was on the list and the team was ready to proceed should mitigate the damage.
“Andrew Berry is not going bring somebody in on a sham interview just to check a box,” Lloyd said. “If you hire Scheelhaase, if that’s your guy? And you don’t bring in a second guy? Just pay the fine.
“Are they really going to strip you of draft picks just because you hired a minority but you didn’t interview a second one? Why would you do that to—I will just put his name out there—why would you do that to Raheem Morris? To bring him in and humiliate him? I think the Rooney Rule is a good thing, but when you get into situations like this?”
Browns Face Stiff NFL Punishment for Not Making ‘Mockery’ of Rule