The NFL has long had a problem with diversity among its head coaches. The Rooney Rule, established in 2003, was supposed to help remedy that by ensuring teams interview at least one minority candidate before making any head coach hirings.
But Brian Flores, former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, alleges that rule can be easily sidestepped with sham interviews that go nowhere. On Thursday, his lawsuit was joined by a pair of longtime NFL coaches when Ray Horton and Steve Wilks were added to the complaint. Horton, former defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, alleged he was given a meaningless interview for the team’s top coaching position in 2016. He claims Mike Mularkey, the team’s eventual hire, had been promised the job before the process even began.
It’s a story Mularkey confirmed in 2020 on the Steelers Realm podcast, a clip that was brought up on social media Thursday afternoon:
