Fritz Pollard Alliance initiates inquiry into Indianapolis Colts' hiring of Jeff Saturday
INDIANAPOLIS — The Fritz Pollard Alliance has initiated an inquiry into the Indianapolis Colts’ hiring of Jeff Saturday as interim head coach, according to a statement released by the Alliance.
The Fritz Pollard Alliance is a group of NFL coaches, scouts and front office personnel that is committed to equal opportunity in the industry, and a champion of The Rooney Rule, the NFL rule that requires teams to interview at least two minority candidates and bring in at least one minority candidate for an in-person interview before making important coaching hires.
"In light of the recent interim head coaching hire in Indianapolis, the FPA has initiated an inquiry with the NFL into whether this hiring process conformed with NFL Hiring Guidelines for naming an interim Head Coach," the statement read.
The Colts fired head coach Frank Reich on Nov. 7 and almost immediately hired Saturday that day.
The NFL released a statement to IndyStar on Nov. 7 that The Rooney Rule did not apply to interim coaching positions.
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“The rule does not apply to an interim head coach during the season,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email. “It does apply after the conclusion of the team’s season. The club would have to fulfill the rule before hiring a full-time head coach.”
But the fact that Saturday was hired from outside the Colts’ organization has apparently drawn the interest of the Fritz Pollard Alliance. Saturday was a consultant for the franchise, but his primary role before taking the interim job was working as an analyst at ESPN, and he’d never coached at the college or NFL levels.
Fritz Pollard Alliance executive director Rod Graves told The Rich Eisen Show last week that his organization took issue with the way the Colts conducted their search.
Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay said in Saturday’s introductory news conference that the former Colts center was the only man for the job.
“Owners have the right to select whoever they choose to lead their clubs,” Graves said. “My issue, and with those I represent. … is in the process.”
Citing the league’s policy promising fair, open and competitive hiring practices, Graves made the case that The Rooney Rule should apply to interim hires if they do not come from the existing coaching staff.
“I do not believe that the hiring of an interim coach should be excluded from that possibility,” Graves said. “I understand that exceptions are made for in-house decisions, but any time an organization goes outside of their full-time employees to hire another individual, especially for what’s considered a primary position, then it should be opened up to The Rooney Rule.”
For his part, Saturday has recognized the importance of The Rooney Rule, a rule that former Colts head coach Tony Dungy has long championed as a method of addressing the league’s racial inequity in decision-making positions.
“The Rooney Rule, I’ll be honest with you, it’s an important rule,” Saturday said. “I do not diminish it one second. I believe and understand fully why it is as important as it is. I don’t minimize it, this is important. My role here is for eight games. When this is over, they will do an exhaustive search and pick whoever their best candidate is to be the head coach of the Colts.”
But Irsay dismissed any concerns about the Rooney Rule in the introductory press conference, citing the NFL’s rule on interim coaches and his own history of hiring two Black head coaches, Dungy and Jim Caldwell.
“There is no problem or perception,” Irsay said, ”except that some of you guys make a problem or perception.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fritz Pollard Alliance looking into Colts' hiring of Jeff Saturday
