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Leagues and Governing Bodies

NFL Adopts Female "Rooney Rule" For Women Interviewing For Exec Positions

The NFL on Thursday took a "major step" towards diversity when Commissioner Roger Goodell announced it will "institute a Rooney Rule for women seeking executive positions," according to Justin Tasch of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Goodell announced at the first NFL Women's Summit in S.F. that teams will have to "interview at least one woman for all executive roles" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/5). Goodell at the summit said, "We believe in diversity. We believe we’re better as an organization when we have good people at the table. We have great people at the table." On Long Island, Mike Rose notes women have "broken barriers in the NFL during the past year." The Bills last month made Kathryn Smith the first female full-time coach in NFL history (NEWSDAY, 2/5). In N.Y., Ken Belson notes the NFL "already has several women in key positions," including CMO Dawn Hudson; Exec VP/Public Policy & Government Affairs Cynthia Hogan; VP/Social Responsibility Anna Isaacson; and Lisa Friel, a former prosecutor who runs investigations into player misconduct. All told, 30% of the 330 employees at league HQ are women, while 30 out of the 120 executive positions, or 25%, "are held by women." The league also said that it "had created a database of potential female candidates to help teams when they look to fill positions" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/5). NFL Senior VP & CIO Michelle McKenna-Doyle said that the league's internal women's affinity group "conceived of the idea to build the number of women in the pipeline." She said, "You have to have a rule that starts it. You still pick the best candidate, but it's just being in consideration, it shows a big vote of confidence. It will change the face of the NFL" (ESPNW.com, 2/4).

WAIT AND SEE APPROACH: In Buffalo, Tim Graham writes the "cynic in me sees this as a public-relations ploy: the NFL desperately wants to soften its image as a barbarous, concussion-inducing, domestic-abusing, gambling-addled enterprise." But if the result "is discovering women such as" former Raiders Chief Exec Amy Trask, 49ers VP/Legal & Gov't Affairs Hannah Gordon and Chargers Exec VP & CFO Jeanne Bonk, "I’m all for it" (BUFFALO NEWS, 2/5).

TAKING BABY STEPS: In S.F., Ann Killion writes Thursday's presentation "was about as safe and tame as you might expect from the league." Goodell spoke but "didn’t take any questions from the crowd or from the media in attendance." Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice followed Goodell and "trotted out just about every cliche about sports and character-building that you could imagine." There was "no discussion of the NFL’s Great Women Problem," and there also was "no talk about the CTE scandal that is causing more and more mothers to turn their sons away from football." Despite that, a Rooney Rule for women is "good step, because the more women involved in front offices or at the league level, the less likely that the other issues that directly affect women will be swept under the NFL’s plush rug." Killion: "If a woman had been in the room when Goodell handed down a two-game punishment to former Ravens running back Ray Rice for abusing his fiancee, the decision might have been different" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/5).

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