Journalist defends Patriots regarding accusations of 'sham' Rooney Rule interviews

Last week, multiple noteworthy members of the NFL community accused the New England Patriots of completing "sham" interviews with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton that put the club in compliance with the Rooney Rule that requires a franchise to meet with at least two minority candidates before it hires a new head coach. 

During the latest edition of his "The Right Time" podcast, sports journalist Bomani Jones defended the Patriots even though it's now clear New England was always going to hire Patriots Hall of Famer and one-time Associated Press Coach of the Year Award winner Mike Vrabel for the job. 

"Let’s be clear," Jones explained, as shared by Brendon Kleen of Awful Announcing. "They were checking the boxes. They were checking the boxes because they knew who they wanted to hire. They wanted to hire Mike Vrabel. That, I saw at least on the internet, seemed to spark a bit of outrage about skirting the Rooney Rule. And I do not think that’s what happened at all."

Specifically, Jones noted that the Patriots gave some attention to coaches who haven't had jobs on league staffs since the 2022 season. In a lengthy piece produced by The Athletic's Mike Jones that was published on Dec. 31, Leftwich left little doubt that he would like to be back on NFL sidelines later this year. 

With that said, eyebrows were raised when it was reported this past weekend that Vrabel essentially told Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady at some point during the hiring cycle that he was "gonna end up going back to New England." The implication is that Patriots owner Robert Kraft never had any real interest in Leftwich or Hamilton and simply wanted to get to Vrabel as soon as possible. 

"...This idea that there’s something wrong with knowing who you want to hire and then hiring them misses the fundamental and root point of what the problem is here," Jones continued during the episode. "I’m not getting mad because the New England Patriots decided to hire Mike Vrabel, who I think is a good coach. You get mad when they get out here hiring these bums…it’s the sorry retreads, not the good ones."

Time will tell if the events of earlier this month will result in Leftwich and/or Hamilton receiving a job before springtime workouts begin. As much as Jones may not blame the Patriots for wanting Vrabel, one wonders how Leftwich and Hamilton feel about being part of New England's offseason process.