Saints and Rooney Rule and Trayvon

I was asked why I thought it was extreme to institute the Rooney rule for the Saints in hiring an interim head coach.  Here is my rationale:

1.  I don't like the Rooney rule in the first place.  I do NOT believe it levels the playing field and I do NOT believe it is good for African American coaches to be looked at as a requirement.  It would shock me if even a single coach was hired because of it and if not, it just wastes their time. 

2.  They have less than a week to find a head coach for only 1 season.  The list of coaches who could fill in for just 1 year and know the system well enough to do it is VERY small.  Asking the Saints to bring in guys for an INTERIM job would then suggest teams in the middle of the season might have to do the same, which would be a massive problem.

3.  This interim job is a true temp job.  No chance of keeping it. 

It is time African American coaches stand on their own two feet FOR THEIR SAKE.  When my kids were old enough to walk, I let them walk.  Not because I didn't want them to make it, but because I thought it was better for them to make it themselves. I just think that the culture in the NFL has changed enough that the Rooney rule is actually counter-productive to the hiring of minority coaches.  If teams don't interview them, players and coaches will know and I bet the team finds it harder to attract some players and coaches who care about this issue.  I have a great respect for Mr Rooney and the spirit of the Rooney rule, but I just think that it should no longer be needed.  In this case, with such limited time and such a limited group of coaches who could do the job, it seems extreme.

I was also asked about the Trayvon Martin case.  This issue is quite simple.  Decisions were made that had grave consequences:

Martin chooses hoodie:  Seriously?  We (Geraldo Rivera=we) are suggesting this kid died in ANY part because he was wearing a hoodie?  Come on folks.  Kids at the school I work at wear hoodies all the time and they would never be considered suspicious because of it.  This choice had ZERO effect on the outcome. ZERO!  This happened because he was African American, not because he was wearing a hoodie.  Otherwise, Bill Belichick can't walk down the street now?  Please?!

Zimmerman racially profiles Martin:  This was an ignorant act on his part.  He saw an African American young man walking and made him to be suspicious for no other reason than walking at night while black.  This is sad but also not criminal.  Remember folks, Zimmerman is not a police officer, security guard, or anyone with any authority to serve or protect.  Because of this, this particular act was not criminal but reprehensible. 

Zimmerman calls police:  This was the only thing he did correct.  If you (mistakenly or otherwise) think a suspicious person is in your neighborhood, you call the police.  He did the right thing here.  He sadly stopped at 1 good decision.

Zimmerman defies police order to stay away:  The Police told him not to follow Mr Martin.  He defied that order and someone died.  Why is it a federal offense to defy the command of a stewardess in flight but not even a crime to defy the orders of the police?  In this case a person died directly because of this choice.  At the very least, since he made a choice against the orders of the authorities, why isn't it at the least involuntary manslaughter?  He shot an unarmed man that HE FOLLOWED!!! 

Martin allegedly instigates altercation:  This is a joke, right?  While he may have been a physical aggressor, the person who followed and got close enough to engage a man he thought was a potential criminal has to be considered the instigator since he was the one who followed a man he thought was a potential criminal, WITH A GUN.  I don't know what happened but it seems like at the worst Trayvon saw he was being followed by a man who was looking at him as an enemy and might have thought Zimmerman was coming to attack him.  Any aggression on his part would be justified and true self defense.  How is it justified legally to be self defense for Zimmerman when you have the ONLY deadly weapon and you follow the person.  He could have easily removed any threat to him by NOT following Martin.

Bottom line is that the criminal part was Zimmerman stalking Martin and then pulling a gun on him.  Period!  The sad part was that an African American kid cant walk down a street without being looked at as a criminal.  I just know that I wont ever understand what it feels like to know this could happen to you for just walking down the street.