In regards to the University of Oregon honoring a state diversity law before hiring a replacement for Chip Kelly, I found this man's quote interesting:
"I think they followed the letter of the law, but not the spirit of the law." -- State Representative Mitch Greenlick
Full story here: http://bit.ly/WV9pnr
He is right. It seems insulting to African-American coaches to be interviewed so disingenuously. We all know the Ducks already had their man. Yet, what is the solution?
There is no way to fully enforce "real" interviews with minority coaches. We can't put quota's on the number of minorities that must be hired. However, the least we could do is think like Mr. Greenlick and honor the spirit of this law.
In the Ducks case, this would mean keeping an open mind before you hand pick your guy. You can think you have your man in Mark Helfrich but this law is designed to introduce other individuals you may not have previously considered. Why not embrace this? What's wrong with holding off on leaking that Helfrich is the coach in waiting if Chip Kelly were to leave? You never know, you might find the next Mike Tomlin (who isn't a Super Bowl champion head coach if not for the NFL Rooney Rule).
I don't blame Oregon. This isn't malice. This isn't racism. But I do believe that if administrators would really think about why the law exists, they may actually amend the way they go about hiring a head coach. And THIS would be considered progress. Instead, it seems administrators are simply covering their behinds and in some cases even hiring minority coaches over better fits or more qualified candidates. All of this misses the point.
It's really quite simple. Don't appoint a head coach in waiting. Don't do it even if you know you have your guy. Just wait. Conduct interviews with the idea that you never know who else is out there. That's really all the law states. How hard is that?
