And thanks to the efforts of Dan Rooney, an older white owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers with a good heart, the Rooney Rule that he authored while NFL chair of diversity, and its progeny in the name of Tony Dungy, the ideal has had application in professional football.

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"These are the lowest head coach diversity numbers the league has seen since 2003, when the Rooney Rule was just implemented, " wrote Harry Carson, the Fritz Pollard Alliance's executive director, in a letter to NFL officials regarding the drop from six to four black head coaches in the league after this past regular season.

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