Columnist Says Raiders Should Be Severely Fined And Lose 1st-Round Pick

No sports organization has ever done more to promote women and minorities to positions of power, but according to USA Today columnist Jarrett Bell, the Raiders deserve to be fined at least $1 million and lose a first-round pick for their insincerity in interviews with minority candidates to replace head coach Jack Del Rio.

“$1 million, plus draft pick penalty, would be in the ballpark of what Goodell levied on the New England Patriots for Deflategate. Nothing gets the wake-up call attention of NFL teams like forfeiting a premium pick. Besides, after committing $100 million to Chucky over 10 years, $1 million looks like a cost-of-living bonus.”

Bell understood that the Raiders were set on hiring Jon Gruden and essentially acknowledged that he has no issue with that.

“I’m not suggesting Davis should not have gone after the charismatic coach who’s already revived the franchise once and certainly will energize the Raider Nation again. Yet there’s a way this could have still been accomplished to maintain the credibility of the Rooney Rule.”

Understanding the fact that Davis was set on bringing Gruden back (and he was clearly the best candidate for the position), why make an effort to embarrass an organization that has been the standard-bearer for creating opportunities for minorities?

In this case, the Raiders could potentially be punished (severely for Bell to be satisfied) for having an insincere interview with minority candidates.

But how exactly does a rule really motivate sincerity?

Sure, there would be the motivation of a $10 million fine, but would Davis have been any more enthusiastic about the opportunity to hire someone other than Gruden because a larger fine was looming?

Of course not.

He wanted his guy and he got him.

As it turned out, USC offensive coordinator Tee Martin, who interviewed for Gruden’s job, now has a second interview with the Raiders – this time for another position.

The first interview was obviously taken a little more seriously than critics want to believe…

Everyone knows Gruden was the right choice and no one is anywhere close to questioning the Raiders’ motives in bringing back a legend.

But some, like Jarrett Bell, still want “severe” punishment cast down on the Raiders because of a perception and a technicality.

The lost draft pick is pure comedy, but if there is a fine involved, Davis should just go ahead and write the check now. Consider it a drop in the bucket next to all the work his family has done to change the way minorities (and women) are perceived in the NFL power structure.

twitter: @raidersbeat

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7 thoughts on “Columnist Says Raiders Should Be Severely Fined And Lose 1st-Round Pick

  1. There was compliance with the rule. It’s like saying that the guy in the Ferrari who slowed down to 25 mph to meet the speed sign knew he was going to get in an open road and hit the gas. Unless someone can demonstrate the sincerity requirement and the litmus test for the sincerity please stop this absurd speculation of punishment. Your own African American GM was involved in the hire. Please quit wasting our time with nonsense.

    1. This columnist is an idiot! There was No Way to make this creditable. Everybody knew who we hiring.Bringing in 2 or 3 minority candidates would have been a mochery of the system. This Organization has done more to promote diversity in the coaching ranks than ANY TEAM IN THE NFL! They’ve fought for Women’s rights! We’re the FIRST TEAM TO WIN A SUPERBOWL WITH A MINORITY HEAD COACH! No Dungy wasn’t first! Tom Flores was! So what’s the problem?

  2. Raiders equal:
    First black head coach
    First Hispanic head coach
    Youngest head coach
    First woman leading the front office
    Then ONLY black GM in today’s NFL
    First team to simulcast in Apache
    AND they interviewed two minority people (rule says only one is needed) before any contract was signed or official declaration.
    I think that reporter Jarrett Bell should have to interview two people with more than a 35 IQ before he writes again or fine him one month without spell checker….

    1. Ozzie Newsome has been the GM of the Ravens for over a decade and he’s black… as are Jerry Reese and Rick Smith, but I appreciate the sentiment that it is a little ridiculous to go out and act as though the raiders wiped their *** with a rule designated to help even the playing field for minority coaches when the person in charge of this for the raiders is a minority.

  3. The patriots losing pick 32 vs a top 10 pick is a huge difference. Also one is cheating the game the other has nothing to do with the performance on the field. Let’s no set a franchise back because they broke a stupid rule this is a capitalist country no such thing as free interviews because of the color of someone’s skin that’s baloney. I wonder if In Africa/Asia or any other place in the world they give interviews to people just based on the color of their skin when they have no intent to hire them. I bet Canada our neighbor up north who everyone points to as a better social system does this bull

  4. The rule is BS, This is America, companies and there owners should be able to hire and fire whom ever they want based on there abilities and merits on there performance not there **** skin color.
    I agree with Juls.

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