The Browns say that they satisfied the Rooney Rule by interviewing Doug Whaley for their GM job. The Fritz Pollard Alliance, however, is not satisfied with their explanation. John Wooten, the chairman of the group, says that the Browns failed to comply with proper procedure by not telling the league about the Whaley interview. 
[RELATED: Pollard Alliance Releases HC, GM Candidates]
“For whatever reason, [owner Jimmy] Haslam or whoever is running their operation there did not report that they had interviewed a minority candidate before they announced that they had signed John Dorsey,” Wooten told PFT. “That threw the whole thing into question, because everybody was asking, ‘Who did they interview?’ Well, we checked with the league, and the league said it had not received any information on who they interviewed or anyone that they intended to interview. Under league rules, the fact that Doug Whaley and John Dorsey were not in the league, they could in fact talk to those guys, but you still have to report you talked to Doug Whaley, and they didn’t do that.”
Initially, Wooten said he was “livid” about the team’s quick hiring of Dorsey because the Whaley interview had been kept under wraps. He’s not quite as angry now, but he has asked civil rights lawyer (and former candidate for the NFLPA’s top job) Cyrus Mehri to file a complaint with the league.
“That’s where we are,” said Wooten. “We’re still waiting for the league to clear this up. We’ve put it on their table. It’s their responsibility. It’s the team’s responsibility to tell the league, and the league gets it to us. We’ll let the league decide what they want to do there [as far as any punishment].”
They knew they wanted Dorsey, so they have to give a meaningless interview to a minority candidate? This process is a joke.
I agree. To give token interviews just because of a rule when there is no interest in hiring the guy is doing a disservice to the interviewee.
Whether you like it or not, that is the rule.
Yeah but it’s still a dumb rule
No matter how dumb the rule is.
The rule isn’t dumb because those token interviews as you call them have shined a light on new candidates that would’ve never otherwise been hired, and ended up getting hired soon after by other teams. So as dumb as it seems on the surface, and as stupid as the Browns were for shunning the rules it has worked in the past.
I never said anything about token interviews.
They didn’t shun the rules.
Try to keep up.
I wonder if the NFL will investigate and Goodell will strip the Browns of there wins this season.
Hahaha
They could take that win from last season
This whole thing is a joke and a waste of time. They have confirmed they talked / interviewed Whaley So what is the issue ?
And now they want to bite a civil rights atty ?? They do realize the Browns HC is black right ?.. Pick your battles better
“Hire” a civil rights atty….
You hire the best person available regardless of race.
Exactly
I didn’t know you had to announce to the league “hey look we interviewed a minority”, that seems incredibly offensive since you wouldn’t have to do that otherwise. They gave him an interview and decided to hire someone else, that should be enough.
The Rooney Rule and other rules like it only set things further back IMO…if a candidate is qualified and checks the right boxes for that particular opening, they should get the job whether or not they’re yellow or black or striped like a zebra
Did they interview any non minority when they hired Sashi….did they interview a non minority when they hired Ray Farmer…maybe John Wooten needs to just stfu
Who cares????
Rooney Rule = Open Racism
Why are the only minorities this group is helping all black? Other minority groups like Hispanic or Asian not worthy of your help?
Owners have a right to hire whom they want. Why token interviews?