The Rooney Rule is a joke

I'm sure someone told him that "it was in his best interest to interview." Also, notice that the interview WASN'T in Seattle.

 

Emmitt is a good guy who knew that many felt he was "too old" to b a head coach. Got a chance to do his thing with the Deadskins but he is a defensive genius who never truly got his just due.

 

Why is it in his best interest to participate in a charade? I'm just trying to dope out the logic. He's already the hot name.

 

Because it's a small world

 

It's in his best interest because if he doesn't do it, he makes the league and the owners look bad, and therefore, he never gets a sniff of another head coaching job.
We're talking 32 overpriviliged white men. That's how they roll.

 

Michael is right. They have the gold and they make the rules.

 

We have a winner.

If the owners and franchises are going to circumvent this, why even bother with the Rooney Rule. The principle is a good one and well-understood, but the execution has been sorely lacking.

 

Have you ever had a full-day interview? I have (and did not get the job), but it makes you feel like they're at least taking you somewhat seriously. Granted, this was not on the dime of an overprivileged white guy with a net worth of $18 billion.

I guess I'm just not thinking as cynically about this. It isn't pre-Shell 1985.

 

With Peter King riding shotgun for them.

 

LJB, you knew when you went for the interview that you had a shot at the gig. it wasn't reported by virtually every media outlet that someone else had agreed in principle to taking the job.

 

Here is what Peter King wrote about Dennis Erickson getting 49ers job over Ted Cottrell:

This was reinforced last week when I talked to Ted Cottrell, the Jets defensive coordinator who was spurned by San Francisco in favor of Dennis Erickson. Now, the prevailing opinion is that Cottrell was just a flunky keeping the seat warm until the Niners found a white coach they liked better. That he was a phony leading candidate. I can say with certainty that this is total horsecrap. Dr. John York, who, with his wife, Denise DeBartolo York, rides herd over the 49ers, was the gatekeeper to this job. San Francisco general manager Terry Donahue would identify the leading candidates, then run the list through York, and the two would decide on a coach together. (Team consultant Bill Walsh was, shall we say, "consulted." But this hire was not his call. He advised both men.)

Had Erickson blown the interview with York and Donahue nine days ago, or had some red flags gone up when Erickson met them, this would have been Cottrell's job. Two separate Niners sources, including York himself, told me this. Three times York dined alone with Cottrell -- breakfast, lunch and dinner -- and they didn't talk about the blue-plate specials. They discussed the nuts and bolts of the job: which coaches Cottrell would want to keep, how he'd fit in the strict front-office setup. "I really, really liked Ted Cottrell," said York, "and I think he's going to make a very good head coach in the league. And I'll tell anyone who asks me that. I will recommend him highly."

My point? That now the 49ers, unless three men (York, Donahue and Walsh) are lying, have a very high opinion of Cottrell. And when the next head-coaching position becomes available, Cottrell will have a much better chance at the job after going through the interviewing process with San Francisco.

"There are far more coaches than jobs," said Walsh. "Ted Cottrell is an outstanding man. I'm going to do everything I can to help him become a head coach. In the final analysis, he was the other candidate for this job. It was a tough decision for everybody, because Ted is really outstanding. But Dennis has a track record and he's proven himself."

This is why Cottrell wasn't down when I spoke with him. He knows that this interview did as much to boost his reputation as any great defensive performance by his Jets players could.

"I think this has really helped me from a few standpoints," he said. "It gave me a chance to get exposed in the West Coast media. Those folks got to know me. I had a very strong visit -- actually, more than one visit -- with an owner. You know, you can say whatever you want about how you interview with a GM or a president, but only 32 people actually give the final approval for these jobs. I met with one of them for a long time. And I'm quite sure Dr. York will relay our discussions to other teams if he's asked. That will hold me in good stead next year, provided we have a good year with the Jets. That's why I'm not really disappointed. I mean, I'm disappointed I didn't get the job, obviously. But the only thing I've ever asked out of a job interview is to be treated the same as the other candidates. Let us compete for the job, and if the other guy wins, I congratulate him. Dennis Erickson is a quality coach. He'll be a good coach for the 49ers."

If the 49ers loved Cottrell so much how come he did not get job when Erickson failed?

 

Just a guess but was it because he had a permanent tan?