Marvin Lewis, who was one of only two known candidates to interview for the Dallas Cowboys‘ head-coaching position, says he is fine with how the process went despite not getting the job.
“There’s a lot bigger problems than myself out there,” Lewis told ESPN’s Golic and Wingo on Wednesday when asked about his being interviewed in relation to the NFL’s Rooney Rule.
Lewis, the former Cincinnati Bengals coach, met with the Cowboys on Friday and Saturday. The Cowboys ultimately decided to hire former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who also interviewed over the weekend.
The Rooney Rule, which mandates that teams interview coaches of color for coaching and general manager vacancies, has been a topic of discussion again after Ron Rivera has been the only minority coach hired for the four head-coaching jobs that have been filled over the past month.
Including Rivera, there are only four minority head coaches in the NFL.
“You keep beating your head up against the wall, but I would say — and again, this is somebody’s business, this is somebody’s franchise, and nobody’s going to tell them who to hire,” Lewis said. “But if we can just somehow open the process a bit more and provide more opportunity [then more coaches could get hired].”
Lewis told the show that many general managers don’t know minority coaching candidates as well, and he acknowledged the lack of minority coaches in coordinator roles. He also said he still thinks it’s good for minority candidates to get interviews to get the experience of the process.
Lewis coached the Bengals from 2003 to 2018, taking the team to the playoffs seven times and being named AP Coach of the Year in 2009.