LAS VEGAS (KTNV)' — A lot of people want Antonio Pierce to be head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders — but even if the Silver and Black wanted to hire him, it's not that simple.
It all has to do with the Rooney Rule.
As the pool of NFL teams looking for head coaches overflows, Raider Nation is eagerly waiting to learn who will take the helm of the Silver and Black.
I spoke with Lindsey Brown of Lotus Broadcasting, who said, "I think Antonio Pierce has as good of a shot as anyone, if not better based on what he's been able to accomplish in his short tenure with the Raiders. There are still policies and structures you have to go through."
Namely, the Rooney Rule.
It was created by the NFL in 2003 to bring more diversity to teams' front offices and coaching staffs. So even if Mark Davis wanted to hire Antonio Pierce immediately, he couldn't.
The Rooney Rule requires at least two external minority candidates to be interviewed, extending the hiring process.
Brown tells me, "It's confusing. Then... I was even further confused because Jerod Mayo was named the head coach of the New England Patriots. He's also Black, but he didn't have to go through any of the Rooney Rule requirements because it was written into his contract that he would be the successor to Bill Belichick."
In September of 2022, the Washington Post analyzed the number of Black head coaches in the NFL. It found since 1990, Black coaches made up 13% of full-time head coaching positions compared to 29% of interim ones.
Brown adds, "I talk about quarterbacks in a similar way — some of them are called in a pinch and some are called when there's a plan. But there hasn't really been a lot of planning where Black head coaches or minority head coaches have been at the helm and that's problematic."
That's where the Raiders have been different. As team president Sandra Douglass Morgan explained during the 42nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Parade.
"Al Davis actually made a very bold move back in the early 1960s, moving the AFL All-Star game from New Orleans because Black players weren't treated properly." Brown said. "That's something that would take a lot of courage today — and it was done in the '60s. Also, the Raiders have had the first female CEO, the first Black head coach, and the first Hispanic head coach in the Hall of Fame."
She continued, "It's very clear through the Raiders history, both on business and in football, that's it's truly part of our DNA."
And what Pierce has shown in his few weeks in the top spot has been a complete game-changer.
"I think they're in such a better position going forward, whether that's with him at the helm, which I think is the best thing for them, or not," Brown said.
But based on his conversation with us during Channel 13's MLK Parade Broadcast, a lot of people are thinking the position is already his. "It's a dream. I don't want to pinch myself yet until it becomes official and we put a stamp on this bad boy. Very humbled and honored."
