Racial Equity and Hiring Diversity in the NFL

What happened when the Rooney Rule made its way from pro football to corporate America? Some progress, some backsliding, and a lot of controversy. (Second in a two-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Tynesia Boyea-Robinson, president and C.E.O. of CapEQ.
  • N. Jeremi Duru, professor of law at American University.
  • Herm Edwards, former N.F.L. player and head coach.
  • Christopher Rider, professor of entrepreneurial studies at the University of Michigan.
  • Jim Rooney, author and co-partner of Rooney Consulting.
  • Scott Shephard, general counsel at the National Center for Public Policy Research.

• RESOURCES:
  • The Social Impact Advantage: Win Customers and Talent By Harnessing Your Business For Good, by Tynesia Boyea-Robinson (2022).
  • A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule, by Jim Rooney (2019).
  • "If There’s Only One Woman in Your Candidate Pool, There’s Statistically No Chance She’ll Be Hired," by Stefanie K. Johnson, David R. Hekman and Elsa T. Chan (Harvard Business Review, 2016).
  • "Racial Disparity in Leadership: Performance-Reward Bias in Promotions of National Football League Coaches," by Christopher I. Rider, James Wade, Anand Swaminathan, and Andreas Schwab (SSRN, 2016).
  • Advancing the Ball: Race, Reformation, and the Quest for Equal Coaching Opportunity in the NFL, by N. Jeremi Duru (2010).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiring? (Part 1)," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • “When Is a Superstar Just Another Employee?” by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • “How Much Does Discrimination Hurt the Economy? (Replay),” by Freakonomics Radio (2023).