George McCaskey Is Likely To Confront The NFL At Owners Meetings — Here’s Why
George McCaskey comes across as an owner who prefers to avoid conflict in any capacity. Confrontation has never been something associated with the Chicago Bears chairman. However, people often misconstrue that the man has no convictions. That couldn’t be further from the truth. McCaskey can be very passionate about things he believes in and is willing to fight for them. One of them has been the Rooney Rule, a practice in the NFL meant to help minority coaches and executives advance.
McCaskey is one of the few owners in the league to employ a black president and a black general manager. It isn’t crazy to think he would be a stickler for the rule in all its forms. That includes the new incentive program where teams are awarded two compensatory picks for helping such candidates get hired to the top job. So when the Bears were denied such a return for Ian Cunningham becoming Atlanta’s new general manager, it apparently didn’t sit well. According to Adam Hoge of CHGO, it could lead to consequences later this month.
Indeed, the Rooney Rule and controversy involving the Bears not receiving compensatory picks for Cunningham’s departure is bound to be on the agenda in some form later this month at the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix.
An interesting wrinkle in this saga is that Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren has served as a member of the NFL’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee since joining the team in 2023. Before that, Bears chairman George McCaskey served on the same committee and is still actively involved in the NFL DEI Committee efforts.
Apparently, that was not enough to help the Bears win their appeal, but it surely should influence discussions around possible changes to the Rooney Rule and any needed tweaks to the language deciding how compensatory picks are distributed in these situations.
George McCaskey can be a force when he feels slighted.
A certain degree of power comes with owning one of the league’s landmark franchises. The McCaskeys may not be major political players like Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft, but they have sway. If they’re aiming to get the Rooney Rule addressed during meetings in Arizona, you can bet the matters will be discussed thoroughly. Yes, the Bears were screwed out of their picks. Literally everybody except the people running the NFL agrees that was the case. There is nothing to do about it now. However, McCaskey has every intention of making sure it doesn’t happen again.
The first thing to deal with is the confusing language of the rule that started this mess. It stated that whoever held the “top football title” in the organization was the real decision-maker. That is why Matt Ryan is considered the actual power in Atlanta, despite many assurances that it is Cunningham. The language must be adjusted so the league can confirm who the actual decision-maker is, whether through contract language or another means. There have been proposals offered in the past to introduce standardized job descriptions, ensuring the GM is always the top football executive in an organization.
McCaskey isn’t the only one motivated.
General manager Ryan Poles also seemed upset about the situation. Cunningham was his friend and right-hand man for four years, building the Bears from league-worst to division champions. He knew the NFL rules well. While he wishes it didn’t take such incentives to hire minority candidates, the fact is that they exist. He was likely banking on getting those two draft picks once Cunningham was eventually lured away. So to be denied because of a technicality leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.
George McCaskey will focus on getting the rule adjusted. Poles will focus on making the rest of the NFL pay by putting together a strong draft without the picks. He will make everybody realize it’s probably a good thing the Bears didn’t get the picks, otherwise he would’ve done even more damage. Few things motivate competitors like the feeling of being cheated.