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 NFL GM Rod Graves criticized the Patriots' usage of the Rooney Rule by interviewing two black candidates before hiring Mike Vrabel.

People in New England reportedly “disapproved” of the team’s handling of the Rooney Rule in the head coach search

The NFL's Rooney Rule has been in place for more than 20 years as a way to help ensure that minority coaching candidates get a fair shot at jobs. But as time has gone on it's increasingly become a box that owners just check off on the way to hiring the candidates that they already had in mind —

Breer directly noted the Patriots could've run "a sham interview process" simply because they are "desperate" to get to Vrabel, who has attracted interest from several other clubs and could be hired at any time. Additionally, Fox Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz accused the Patriots of "blatantly" sidestepping the Rooney Rule:

Mike Vrabel is believed to be the frontrunner for the head coaching job in New England, and the team quickly cleared a path to hiring him by interviewing former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton on Tuesday.

Ryan Clark, former Super Bowl champion and ESPN analyst, criticizes the New England Patriots for their handling of the Rooney Rule during their recent head-coaching search, reigniting debates about NFL diversity efforts.