M&S Tackles Issues of Diversity, Equity in the Sports World

The Rooney Rule Jumps the Pond

England’s Football Association announced this month that it will implement a version of the “Rooney Rule” for all its National Team coaching positions for both men and women at all age levels. The Fritz Pollard Alliance applauded the decision, saying that the FA is taking a big step towards creating fair competition by moving to diversify its coaching ranks. “We congratulate the FA for leading by example, and we encourage the English Premier League, the world’s most competitive domestic soccer league, to follow suit,” said the Fritz Pollard Alliance.

Since the NFL adopted the Rooney Rule in 2003 – requiring an interview of at least one candidate of color for open head coaching positions – the number of head coaches and general managers of color in the NFL has risen exponentially.

Recent media coverage includes:
CNN, “Will Rooney Rule adoption change English football?”
BBC, “FA Brings in Rooney Rule”: Interview with Cyrus Mehri

Fritz Pollard Alliance Says Oakland Raiders’ Owner Mark Davis Crossed the Line

The Fritz Pollard Alliance strongly disagreed with a recent ruling from the NFL that said the Rooney Rule had not been violated by Oakland Raiders’ owner Mark Davis.

“The NFL broke ground when it created the Rooney Rule, but it made the wrong call in refusing to penalize Mark Davis in this instance. Davis crossed the line, and we are disappointed in the League’s decision. The Rooney Rule and all of the League’s equal opportunity efforts need to be strengthened. We have called for meetings with the League to ensure that a process like this never happens again,” said a statement from John Wooten, Harry Carson, Cyrus Mehri and N. Jeremi Duru.

Recent media coverage includes:

• The Washington Post, “Diversity group will seek Rooney Rule reforms after Jon Gruden’s hiring by Raiders”
• The Undefeated, “NFL effectively shows it will no longer enforce Rooney Rule”
• NBC Sports ProFootball Talk, “Fritz Pollard Alliance strongly disagrees with NFL clearing Raiders on Rooney Rule”
• ESPN, “John Wooten decries NFL’s ruling that Raiders honored Rooney Rule”
• USA Today, “NFL: Raiders complied with ‘Rooney Rule’ when hiring Jon Gruden”
• Sports Illustrated, “NFL Finds Raiders Complied With Rooney Rule in Jon Gruden Hiring”

Cyrus Mehri Talks NFLPA Leadership, Players’ Rights and Creating a Fair Economic Deal

Football season might be coming to an end, but the issues players face won’t stop in the off-season. In a Q&A with the Huffington Post (“Mehri Seeks to Fix Worst Players Union in America“), Cyrus Mehri talks about why the National Football League’s Players Association (NFLPA) is doing a poor job (hint: lack of leadership) and what he believes can be done to fix it.
To read the full interview, click here.

P.S. Jay Angoff might play advocate for the Affordable Care Act by day, but did you he plays a different tune by night? Check out “Georgetown Piano Bar’s Jay Angoff on Politics and Music”from Northern Virginia Magazine to learn more.