The Indianapolis Colts sent shockwaves throughout the NFL when they fired former head coach Frank Reich, only to announce Jeff Saturday as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
The move in itself is curious in the fact that Saturday has no coaching experience above a few seasons at the high school level. But there have been questions pertaining to whether the Colts violated the Rooney Rule by making such a quick hire.
According to NFL Operations, the Rooney Rule states teams are required “to interview at least two external minority candidates for open head coaching positions and at least one external minority candidate for a coordinator job.”
However, the rule does not apply to teams making a hire for the interim. They will have to follow the rule during the offseason when they make their official hire.
Regarding the Rooney Rule as it pertains to the #Colts hiring Jeff Saturday:
The rule does not apply to an interim head coach during the season. It does apply after the conclusion of the team’s season.
The club would have to fulfill the rule before hiring a full-time coach.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 7, 2022
It isn’t truly clear what the future holds for Saturday and the Colts. We know owner Jim Irsay has tried to get Saturday in the building before so this may not be as cut and dry as it seems.
Regardless, the Colts will have to follow the Rooney Rule once the offseason begins even if they want to bring Saturday back as the head coach after his eight-game run.
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