When word leaked shortly after the Lions got knocked out of the playoffs that the Bears planned to bring in Tennessee State coach Eddie George for an interview, then proceeded to hire Johnson the next day, it appeared as though George’s interview was primarily to get the Bears compliant with the Rooney Rule.
Chairman George McCaskey denied that, saying George was a legitimate candidate, and George said this week that was his understanding as well.
George told The Tennessean that the Bears reached out before the Lions game and that he asked for two days to decide whether he wanted to interview, indicating it wasn’t as last-second as it looked. He said he asked the Bears upfront whether this was simply to fulfill the Rooney Rule requirement of having two minority candidates come for in-person interviews — the Bears had interviewed only one in person at that point — and was told no.
“The thing about the Rooney Rule is, it doesn’t matter how you get in the room,” George said. “Whether it’s through the front door, backdoor, side door, window or the roof — if I get in the room, you still gotta deal with me. Then I’ve got to go out there and perform, meaning I’ve still got to interview well.”
George had connections with the Bears from a brief stay on the coaching staff as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program in 2023.
George, 51, was a star running back at Ohio State and in the NFL, but has been in coaching for only four seasons — all as head coach of Tennessee State. The Bears are the only team that has interviewed him for a head-coaching job.
“On our first call, I said to them flat out, ‘Hey, interview someone that is really going to be worthy of this,'” George said. “And they said, ‘We wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t for that. We’re casting our net wide. We think highly of you and what you’ve been able to do. And if things don’t work out, you still got your name out there in these rooms and the opportunity to work your interview muscle.'”