Falcons GM Ian Cunningham says 'work to be done' in NFL minority hiring, despite Florida AG pushback
PHOENIX (AP) — First-year Atlanta Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham said he'll continue to push for more diversity in the NFL's leadership positions, even after Florida's attorney general wrote that the league's minority hiring guidelines violate Florida state law. Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying the league's 23-year-old Rooney Rule amounts to “blatant race and sex discrimination. ” “Just from my position, especially being a Black man, there’s still work to be done,” Cunningham told The Associated Press on Monday at the NFL’s league meetings .
“Now that I’m in this position and have this platform, I’m going to be intentional about what we do from a grassroots effort to a director level. “I do think it’s important to give people of all races and sexes a chance to be in a position to further their career. ” The Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least two minority candidates for head coach, general manager and coordinator positions.
At least one minority candidate must be interviewed for the quarterbacks coach position. The 40-year-old Cunningham was hired as the Falcons general manger in January after four seasons as an assistant GM with the Chicago Bears. He’s also spent time in the front office for the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles.
Cunningham said he didn't have a comment on Uthmeier's specific concerns, saying he didn't have all the details. Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles — who is one of just three Black head coaches in the league — also said he needed more information before deciding if Uthmeier's complaint had any merit. “The political part of it, if he wants it out, and he has reasons why, I got to hear cases and all that," Bowles said.
"If I were the judge sitting behind a bench, I would probably have more info right now what he thinks, but I don’t. ” Uthmeier asked Goodell to confirm by May 1 that the NFL was no longer enforcing the Rooney Rule in Florida, or the league could face civil rights action. There are three NFL teams in Florida — the Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars.