DeMaurice Smith is entering his final days as executive director of the NFL Players Association after 14 years in the role following the election of Lloyd Howell to succeed him.
But Smith won’t be leaving without one last stand with the NFL owners.
In a 100-page document, obtained by Yahoo Sports, Smith and Carl Lasker, a Yale law student and Smith’s teaching assistant, called for the removal of the Rooney Rule because they believe it has failed its purpose.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, speaks at a press conference ahead of Super Bowl LVI at the NFL Media Building on the SoFi Stadium campus in Inglewood, California. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
The Rooney Rule was considered a failure by Smith and Lasker, but many others have said the same during its 20 years of existence.
The rule was put in place, as the league’s soccer operations website says, to «increase the number of minorities hired into head coaching, general manager and executive positions. This diversity enriches the game and creates a more effective organization and quality from top to bottom. below.»
But after seeing the number of black head coaches virtually stagnant (the number was two when the rule was implemented and there are three before the 2023 season), Smith and Lasker think it’s time for something different.
JALEN HURTS’ LACK OF SATISFACTION PROMPTS HIM TO BE EVEN BETTER THIS SEASON
«The system is broken from the inside out and from the outside, and any effort to disrupt it that didn’t force NFL owners to join or reform it was doomed from the start,» Smith told Yahoo Sports.
They also viewed the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action no longer being used at public and private universities across the country as something that could affect the NFL in the future.
«The reality of its potential impacts beyond the details of that case is troubling. Therefore, the need for fair, equitable and legal hiring practices in the NFL can never be greater, and the need for government investigation and oversight , as well as the enforcement of fair hiring practices has never been more necessary,» Smith and Lasker wrote.
NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell pose for a photo before the 2023 Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Ariz. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Smith and Lasker made 12 recommendations for how the league should move away from the Rooney Rule. They included changing the hiring system to require that all positions be posted with «specific job descriptions and kept open for at least 30 days,» adopting a «consistent and transparent system whereby all teams must comply with respect to the recruitment and retention» and eliminate the need for coaches to seek permission from teams to apply for jobs with other organizations, among others.
There was also a poll conducted by the NFLPA last year with 65 current and former NFL coaches of color that clearly shows how they feel about their representation in important positions throughout the league.
BUCS’ CARLTON DAVIS IS CONFIDENT EVEN WITHOUT TOM BRADY, SAYS NFL IS IN A ‘RUDE AWAKENING’
There were 47 responses out of 65, and it showed that 92% of them believed more transparency was needed in the head coach hiring process, 90% believed that race plays a role in hiring coaches, and 90% said that «federal statutes prohibiting discrimination are not enforced.» or obeyed in hiring practices».
«The NFL system is broken,» Smith and Lasker wrote. «To fix it, owners must abandon the Rooney Rule and replace its unchecked discretion with comprehensive requirements to eliminate discrimination, ensure fairness, enhance diversity, and build a fair, transparent, and accountable system.»
NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith prior to the 2023 Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Smith and Lasker believe there is no better time than now with the league seeing a change in representation.
“The NFL faces a crossroads; its senior leadership will change over the next five years. Some inherited the problem of a lack of diversity in the front office and in coaching, and the future offers the opportunity to make important decisions to solve these long-standing egregious problems. affairs.»
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Heading into the 2023 season, the only black head coaches are Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans, who was hired this offseason.