Lions Conducted Phony Interview With Austin In 2018: Agent

DETROIT — Former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin's agent told the Associated Press on Wednesday the Lions organization only interviewed his client for the team's head coaching position to satisfy the league's Rooney Rule.

The Lions fired head coach Jim Caldwell after the 2017 season, and Austin was one of two in-house candidates the Lions interviewed for the vacant position following the 2017 season. He was the Lions' defensive coordinator from 2014-2017, working alongside Caldwell, where the two coached the Lions to two playoff appearances, including an 11-5 record in 2014, which was the franchise's best season since 1991.

However, Austin's agent, Eric Metz said the organization's interview with Austin was a phony one by design, with its only intention to satisfy the league's Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview at least two minority candidates for head coaching vacancies.

"(Former Lions general manager) Bob Quinn knew he was hiring Matt Patricia and used Teryl to comply with the Rooney Rule," Metz told the AP. "Didn’t work out well for the Lions. Never should’ve fired Jim Caldwell."

The Lions have gone 17-46-2 since the team fired Caldwell and have had four straight losing seasons.

The team also interviewed then-Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, then-Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, then-Houston Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel and then-Green Bay Packers associate head coach Winston Moss for the head coaching position before ultimately hiring Matt Patricia, who was then the New England Patriots defensive coordinator.

The Detroit Lions organization did not immediately respond for comment regarding the accusations Metz accuses the Lions of making. Patch will update this story if the team responds.

Former Lions team president Matt Millen was fined $200,000 in 2003 for circumventing the league's Rooney Rule by then NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Millen argued he attempted to interview minority candidates but said they declined to interview for the job because they believed the team would hire Steve Mariucci, which the team did.

The news comes as former Miami Dolphins head coach Brain Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL in connection to racial discrimination, in which Flores argues he was only interviewed by the New York Giants to satisfy the Rooney Rule.

The Rooney Rule was implemented into the league in 2003, with the goal on inducing more minority coaches in the league by requiring organizations to interview at least two minority candidates, with at least one of those interviews in-person. Currently, the NFL has three minority head coaches, Mike Tomlin, Ron Rivera and Robert Saleh out of a possible 32.

Austin withdrew his name from the Lions' head coach search once he realized the team was heading in different direction and joined the Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff as a defensive coordinator for one season. He has spent the past three seasons as a defensive assistant on the Pittsburgh Steelers' coaching staff, where he is currently a candidate for the team's defensive position coordinator.

Overall, despite being a defensive assistant on three teams that reached the Super Bowl, winning it with the 2012 Baltimore Ravens, Austin is 0 for 11 in head coaching interviews.

“It always leaves you wondering what happened, why you didn’t get it,” Austin told the AP in October. "You can’t say for sure (if race was a factor). ... Maybe I’m not what the owners see when they look in the mirror and they see leadership positions.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.