The Dolphins Problem with the Minority Hiring Proposal

The Miami Dolphins were ahead of the curve in terms of minority hiring, but that could put them at a disadvantage if new Rooney Rule proposals are adopted

The NFL will propose to team owners new incentives to the make the Rooney Rule more effective, specifically the awarding of draft picks for teams who hired minority general manager or head coaches, according to NFL.com writer Jim Trotter.

Under the proposal, which will be presented during a virtual meeting next week, a team hiring a minority head coach could move up six spots in the third round of a draft preceding the coach's second season and 10 spots for hiring a minority general manager under the same guidelines, with a GM/coach minority combo resulting in a 16-spot jump.

Another incentive would have a team's fourth-round pick climb five spots in the draft preceding the coach's or GM's third year if he is still with the team. 

What the proposal doesn't address is whether any pick would be awarded retroactively, an important question as it pertains to the Miami Dolphins.

See, the Dolphins already have a minority GM and a minority head coach with Chris Grier and Brian Flores, respectively.

Grier has been with the Dolphins organization since 2001 and was promoted to general manager in 2016, so the franchise wouldn't get any draft pick upgrade unless the rule was applied retroactively.

Flores was hired as head coach in February 2019, which means the Dolphins would get only the fourth-round bump for Flores if the rule took effect in 2021 but nothing if it didn't take effect until 2022 or beyond — again, unless the rule is applied retroactively.

The proposal is a result of dissatisfaction with the Rooney Rule, whose goal was to provide more opportunities for minority candidates.

Of the past 20 coaching hires, only three were minorities.

One of those, of course, was Flores, who became the first minority head coach in Dolphins history.

The Dolphins organization was honored by the Fritz Pollard Alliance during Super Bowl week as recipient of the Paul J. Tagliabue Award honoring industry leaders for diversity.

"When you look at (the Dolphins') ownership group, when you look at when they've done throughout the organization, and then beyond that they've created programs like the Football Unites that, to me, they've gone beyond just making diversity of leadership a priority," said Rod Graves, who's in his first year as executive director of the FPA after a 37-year career in the NFL as a scout and executive. "But they've integrated programs and weaved into their culture the apparatus for continuing to promote diversity and diverse ideas. I think that is tremendous.

"No question they are the model franchise for the National Football League. I think it's clear that the organization embraces diversity based on what we believe are strong what I call modern-day principles of success. Those three are first that they certainly believe that the game is accessible to everyone who has the tools to succeed in the National Football League. Secondly, it's clear that they believe that diversity adds to a rich organizational culture. And I think that third element of modern-day success, as I call it, is that they understand that diverse input can often lead to better decisions and better outcomes."