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Jerry Jones got blasted for hiring Brian Schottenheimer but still gave himself credit for the move. But the Dallas Cowboys owner faked interest in Deion Sanders, according to claims by ESPN’s Shannon Sharpe on First Take.
“Do you remember how they were saying, oh Jerry he really likes Coach Prime,” Sharpe said. “And Stephen (Jones) really likes Brian Schottenheimer and they’re butting heads. All that commotion was to get the Rooney Rule. See Jerry liked him. That’s the Rooney rule. (And) that’s our one. That’s the token. We brought him in. I never believed it for one second, not one second. Not Prime, not the Prime that I know.”
The Cowboys are coming off a 7-10 season that sunk under the weight of injuries. But is Schottenheimer the right guy to bring into the situation as it stands going into 2025?
Sharpe said Scottenheimer won’t have coaching control like most guys at the NFL level.
“He has no say on the final 53,” Sharpe said. “He has no say in free agency, (and) he has no say in the draft. (Also,) he has no say when they leave, what time they meet. What time they practice. How long they practice. So he’s just a coach in title. He’s not a head coach. Because everybody knows when he stands up, that’s Jerry talking.”
It should be pointed out that the Rooney Rule comes to the forefront many times when a Black head coach doesn’t get a job. Here’s the spirit of the rule, according to operations.nfl.com.
“The Rooney Rule is one part of the NFL’s effort to develop a deep, sustainable talent pool at all levels of the organization,” the NFL states. “The policy promotes diverse leadership among NFL clubs to ensure that promising candidates have the opportunity to prove they have the necessary skills and qualifications to excel.
“Through hiring best practices, the Rooney Rule aims to increase the number of minorities hired in head coach, general manager, and executive positions. This diversity enriches the game and creates a more effective, quality organization from top to bottom.”
The Rooney rule requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching positions. The Cowboys interviewed former Vikings HC Leslie Frazier, which complied with the rule.
Of course, that short-circuits Sharpe’s argument because Jones didn’t HAVE to interview Sanders. Could it possibly be that Jones wanted to fake interest in Sanders for something other than race? What if Jones wanted to fake interest in Sanders just to stir the pot and get people talking about the Cowboys. Jones is a master of that.
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