After the Cleveland Browns hired John Dorsey as their new general manager just hours after firing Sashi Brown on Thursday, questions arose as to whether or not the team had complied with the NFL's 'Rooney Rule.'
As it turns out, the Browns did, in fact, abide by the NFL's policy, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for senior executive front office positions and head coaching vacancies. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Cleveland interviewed -- among other candidates -- former Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley for the job that ultimately went to Dorsey.
Whaley served as the Bills' top personnel executive from 2010-2016. Prior to that, he spent 10 years working in the Pittsburgh Steelers organization.
Had the Browns failed to comply with the Rooney Rule, the team would have likely been subject to a stiff fine, or other penalties. It's worth noting that Cleveland currently employs a black head coach in Hue Jackson and just fired a black vice president of football operations in Brown.
In 2016, The Undefeated referred to the Browns as "the blackest operation in the NFL."
