NFL Says Dolphins Didn't Violate Rooney Rule In Hiring Tannenbaum
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — Those who thought that the Miami Dolphins difficulties would end when the team played their final game of the 2014 season were dead wrong.
The NFL weighed in on the confusing, conflicting explanations of the Dolphins' new power structure, saying the team didn't violate the Rooney Rule in hiring Mike Tannenbaum as executive vice president of football operations.
The rule requires teams to consider minority candidates when hiring for senior football operations positions, but that didn't apply to Tannenbaum's new job, the league said Wednesday.
"We have discussed the hiring of Mike Tannenbaum for a senior football position with Dolphins owner Steve Ross," the league said in a statement. "Mr. Ross has confirmed that general manager Dennis Hickey retains all of his prior authority over the draft and other personnel matters, and that Mr. Hickey will continue to report directly to Mr. Ross on these matters. Any public statement to the contrary is erroneous and does not accurately reflect the reporting structure at the Dolphins."
In a news release announcing the hiring Tuesday, the Dolphins said Hickey would report directly to Tannenbaum. But the release also said Hickey would continue to lead the personnel and scouting departments and have control of the 53-man roster.
During a subsequent conference call with reporters, Tannenbaum said Hickey would have the final say on roster and draft decisions — but added he would be Hickey's boss.
"Dennis and all of the other departments will be reporting to me," said Tannenbaum, a former general manager for the New York Jets. "Knowing what that GM job entails, one of the things that I hope and I know Steve hopes is Dennis will have more time to worry about scouting and all of that entails and running the scouting department.
"There are a ton of administrative things that come across your desk that I'll handle ... trying to take the big picture, when we see opportunities in analytics or innovation, trying to tie all of those things together. There are a lot of departments that go on in running a football team."
The Dolphins didn't respond immediately Wednesday to requests for clarification.
One thing has been made clear: Coach Joe Philbin will continue to report directly to Ross.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
RELATED CONTENT:
