Eddie George lands Bears Head Coach interview but suspicion rises as to the legitimacy for the Titans legend, TSU coach
A terrible NFL rule is tainting some otherwise exciting news for Eddie George
Tennessee Titans legend and Ring of Honor member Eddie George has started getting looks from the NFL as a coaching candidate.
FOX’s Jay Glazer reported Saturday night that the Chicago Bears have scheduled an interview with George for their Head Coach vacancy.
Everything George has touched in his football career has been a success. He was the Heisman Trophy winner at Ohio State. His 9-year NFL career as a Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans running back made him a face of the franchise forever. He scored 78 total touchdowns, joined the exclusive 10,000 yard rushing club, was elected to 4 Pro Bowls, was an AP 1st and 2nd team All-Pro, was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1996, and even garnered some MVP votes in 2000. He remains one of the most liked and most well-known players in franchise history.
In 2021, George became the Head Coach of the Tennessee State University football team. In 4 years as the Tigers coach, he has a collective record of 24-22 and is coming off his best year yet. In 2024, TSU went 9-4, tied for 1st place in the Big South OVC, and went to the FCS playoffs. George himself was named the Big South OVC Coach of the Year, and finished as the runner-up for the Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year award.
And now, he’s gotten the NFL’s attention. This interview with Chicago could be Eddie’s early launching point for bigger coaching jobs, following a similar path to another former NFL great who coached in the FCS not too long ago: Deion Sanders.
Unfortunately, there is some natural skepticism over the good-faith nature of this interview request. As is the case in every NFL hiring cycle, the specter of the well-intentioned but horribly flawed Rooney Rule hangs over every minority candidate who gets an interview request.
In terms of meeting their Rooney Rule requirements, George is an ideal interview for the Bears right now. He’s not currently employed by an NFL team, so he doesn’t have to wait until January 20th to interview for the job. And if the interview is done in-person this weekend, then it’s believed that the Bears will be Rooney Rule compliant.
Is George being used to satisfy a rule, or is he a serious candidate for the job? It’s hard not to question the truth of the former. Either way, it’s great optics for Eddie George’s rising coaching star to have landed an NFL interview.
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