Did the New England Patriots violate the Rooney Rule in hiring Mike Vrabel? Uncover the controversy shaking up their hiring process.

In searching for the successor to Jerod Mayo, the New England Patriots adhered to the ‘Rooney Rule’ — not in practice, but merely in principle.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Ryan Clark thinks the Rooney Rule has become a complete joke. That was made evident with the New England Patriots bringing in Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich for interviews,

Super Bowl champion Ryan Clark blasted the New England Patriots on "Inside the NFL" for how they complied with the NFL's Rooney Rule when they hired Mike Vrabel.

From the moment the Bears fired coach Matt Eberflus, they were committed to conducting a wide-ranging and deliberate search for a new 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.

Former NFL assistant and HBCU quarterback Pep Hamilton is one of two candidates who have interviewed for the New England Patriots opening. The New England Patriots are exploring new leadership after firing head coach Jerod Mayo,

Lions OC Ben Johnson interviewed well with the Patriots but plans to meet with other teams. Meanwhile, the Patriots are pushing for a quick resolution to their HC search, per source. Many around the league expect a decision this weekend.

The New England Patriots could be on the verge of hiring their next coach after completing an interview with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson on Friday, the fourth candidate to be brought in as part of the search to fill the vacancy created by the firing of Jerod Mayo.

He spent two years on Michigan’s staff as an offensive analyst under Jim Harbaugh, his first boss in college at San Diego, and followed Pep Hamilton from Michigan to the start-up spring league ...

For some of those teams, that will involve finding new head coaches and/or General Managers. Three teams fired their head coaches during the season and two more have been dispatched as of 9 a.m. ET on January 6.

The Rooney Rule is an NFL policy that requires teams to interview ethnic-minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation jobs. The rule was created to help coaches who are minorities but ESPN’s Ryan Clark isn’t convinced it’s effective.