Troy Vincent Says NFL Has a 'Broken System' When It Comes to Minority Hiring

Timothy Rapp @@TRappaRTFeatured ColumnistMay 19, 2020

FILE - In this May 22, 2019, file photo, NFL vice president Troy Vincent speaks to the media during an owners meetings in Key Biscayne, Fla. Vincent has sent a letter to several prospects inviting them to participate “live” in the NFL draft in three weeks. The Associated Press on TuesdayMarch 31, 2020, obtained the letter sent by the league's football operations chief to prospective early selections in the draft, which will be held remotely on April 23-25 due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Troy Vincent, the executive vice president of football operations for the NFL, said Tuesday the league has "a broken system" when it comes to minority hiring, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.

He also spoke on the proposal that would incentivize teams to hire minority front-office personnel, which was tabled:

Dan Graziano @DanGrazianoESPN
Troy Vincent on the tabled proposal to reward minority hiring with draft picks: "I appreciate the creativity." Says he thinks the proposal has merit, echoes what Roger Goodell said about the proposal being well received and being tabled so that it could continue to be worked on.

The NFL did make changes to the Rooney Rule on Tuesday, however, requiring organizations to interview two minority candidates for any vacant head-coaching positions and at least one minority candidate for any open coordinator (offensive, defensive, special teams) position.

Additionally, teams will be required to interview an external minority candidate for any general manager or senior football operations positions and minority and/or female candidates for senior front office positions.

Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter
NFL teams adopted new procedures in diversity, equity and inclusion. In approving a resolution and other rules changes, NFL will implement workplace reforms to increase employment opportunities and advancement for minorities and women across the league. https://t.co/MpgIW2ePBZ

Ian Rapoport @RapSheet
From our news update: The NFL virtual meetings today included an alteration to the Rooney Rule. We break down what it means... https://t.co/2OE83Tn5e2

The tabled proposal to reward teams for hiring minority coaches and general managers was met with some backlash:

Jonathan Jones @jjones9
Putting teeth into the Rooney Rule would be a much better next step than incentivizing teams to hire black folks

According to Jabari Young of CNBC, the proposal being considered was "that if a club hires a minority head coach and general manager, it can potentially move up 16 spots in the third round of the NFL draft."

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Former NFL head coach Tony Dungy told Pro Football Talk that he wasn't in favor of that proposal, and knew several African American coaches in the NFL who had issues with it as well:

"There's three things that they're worried about. Number one, how does this put me in my relationship with the other coaches that I work with, and other white coaches? Are they thinking I'm getting an advantage now? Number two, when that general manager or owner hires me, is he hiring me because he thinks I'm the best person, or is he hiring me to move his draft choice up a little bit? And then the third thing this is nobody feels like they want anything special. ... Don't hire me and then say I'm going to give you more draft choices later on because you need help."

For now, that idea has been shelved by the league. But it's clear the NFL still has major strides to make in its hiring process when it comes to minority coaching and front-office candidates, even after Tuesday's improvements to the Rooney Rule.