Patriots Personnel Reportedly Had This Problem With Initial Interviews

Members of the Patriots organization apparently felt the same as those outside One Patriot Place.

The Patriots got an immediate start on the hiring process Tuesday when they interviewed Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton for their head coaching vacancy.

It’s never a bad idea to get an early jump on things, right? Well, countless media members and fans saw right through those interviews as they appeared to be conducted simply to satisfy the Rooney Rule, which requires at least two interviews with minority candidates. Neither Leftwich nor Hamilton, who have been out of the league in recent years, are serious contenders for New England’s head coach.

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Those interviews were classified as a “sham” to many outside the organization. And at least a few inside the organization agree, according to the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed.

“Multiple team sources disapproved of ownership’s clear flouting of the Rooney Rule, disrespecting the process and declining to gather intel from external coaching candidates about how their organizations operate and their visions for how the Patriots could run,” the Boston Herald wrote in an extensive report published Thursday.

“‘Wild,'” one said. ‘Just wild,'” the Boston Herald wrote.

The Patriots reportedly will interview the top two coaching candidates before the end of the week with Mike Vrabel on Thursday and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson on Friday. Vrabel is widely viewed as the favorite to land the job.

New England reportedly requested to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, though it’s yet to be reported if Glenn accepted the team’s request. Glenn, one of the most sought-after candidates this offseason, would further satisfy the Rooney Rule.

But given the request took place after the fallout from the Leftwich and Hamilton interviews, the Patriots don’t look any better.