The poll was conducted on Facebook over Jan. 13-17. | LGIS
The poll was conducted on Facebook over Jan. 13-17. | LGIS
A poll conducted by Local Government Information Services found that the majority of respondents favor a new Bears head coach selection based on the likelihood of winning alone.
The poll was conducted on Facebook over Jan. 13-17.
It asked respondents, “In hiring a new Bears head coach, what should be the most important consideration?” The multiple-choice form allowed for three answers: “likelihood of winning,” “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI)" and “both.”
Altogether, 508 participants responded.
Of the respondents 313, 61.6%, said the “likelihood of winning” should determine who the next head coach of the Bears is over other considerations.
Only 10 respondents, 2%, said the hire should be based solely on DEI while 185, 36.4%, noted both factors should be taken into consideration.
The Bears fired head coach Matt Nagy after four seasons. Nagy took the team to the playoffs twice in his era. The move comes after the NFL’s Rooney Rule was expanded in the offseason.
The NFL’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee changed the rules to mandate that NFL teams interview at least two minority candidates for general manager and all football operators and coordinator positions. Unchanged was that one interview with an external minority candidate must be conducted for head coaching and general manager openings, but that interview must be conducted in person now.
The Rooney Rule was updated in 2020 to provide compensatory third-round draft picks, according to Wikipedia, to teams who hire minority coaches or provide other opportunities for advancement.
The rule has been panned in a Bleacher Report editorial, which calls its preference in the interviewing process of one race over another is racism itself.
Commentator and Super Bowl winning head coach Tony Dungy, whose firing partly inspired the rule, spoke out against awarding teams with draft picks, saying it may create dissension within coaching staff and causes questions about merit to arise.
The rule seems to be ineffective according a National Review critic who wants to see more successful minority hires.
Since its inception, “It seems not much has changed in terms of opportunities for people of color,” Alex Sinatra wrote in 2020 for USA Today, noting the low levels of minority candidates being hired.
Statistics indicate that in the 2014 season, 68.7% of NFL players identified as black, 28.6% as non-Hispanic/white and 4% as Asian/Pacific Islander.
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