The Cleveland Browns fired and hired a general manager within a 12-hour span Thursday, and concern about the Rooney Rule emerged.
However, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Browns interviewed former Buffalo Bills GM Doug Whaley prior to hiring John Dorsey as the new general manager.
The meeting, regardless of whether Cleveland actually intended to seriously consider Whaley or not — unfair and wrong as that may be — satisfies the requirement for interviewing a minority candidate. The sincerity of that meeting is the question.
Consequently, initial reactions of skepticism are not unwarranted given the timeline. John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, said he was “deeply bothered” by the Browns’ hiring practice.
It is possible, though, that the Browns were already contacting candidates before firing Sashi Brown, the Executive Vice President.
The NFL may choose to investigate the matter, and the league could determine the Browns violated the spirit of the Rooney Rule. Whaley’s interview may play a pivotal role in the league’s findings, if it decides to explore the process.