The NFL will “hold a three-day career development symposium next week in Philadelphia" at the Wharton School of Business on the Rooney Rule, with attendees including Commissioner Roger Goodell and Giants GM Jerry Reese, according to Barry Wilner of the AP. Steelers Chair Emeritus Dan Rooney, who was “instrumental in developing the rule named after him,” will be “speaking to or networking with current and former coaches, former players and anyone aspiring to a management position in the NFL.” Patriots Owner Robert Kraft, Giants President & CEO John Mara, Jaguars Owner Shahid Khan, and Cardinals President Michael Bidwill will also address the attendees. In addition, Goodell, Rooney and Kraft will “participate in small networking groups.” Keynote speakers will be CBS’ Bill Cowher and ESPN’s Bill Polian. NFL Exec VP/Football Operations Ray Anderson and NFL Chief Human Resources Officer Robert Gulliver are “overseeing the program” (AP, 5/1). USA TODAY’s Jarrett Bell cites an Examining Coaching Mobility Trends & Occupational Patterns report showing that since ’70, “no minority head coach fired in the NFL has landed a head coaching job on the major-college level.” Of the 42 coaches “who became NFL coordinators after losing their first head coaching job, just two were minorities” (USA TODAY, 5/2).
