Well, I can see one genuine argument why allowing this type of evasion of the Rooney Rule is problematic. Yes, Mayo is Black and if the ultimate point of the Rooney Rule is to create opportunities for minorities to advance in the coaching and front office ranks, then Mayo's case is consistent with the spirit of the rule if not the letter.I don't get the harping on the Rooney Rule loophole. I mean, they hired a black head coach. Would he have been happier if they had interviewed 5 black candidates but then hired Jim Harbaugh instead? Is that a better outcome for the black coaching community?
But, if this loophole becomes 1) popular and 2) used to advance White candidates without complying with the Rooney Rule, then at a big picture level it could have a discriminatory effect.
There's also no real way to reconcile the Rooney Rule with this type of succession plan. If the Pats had interviewed some other Black candidates before moving on with their succession-planned hiring of Mayo, they could correctly be accused of conducting token interviews where the candidate had no chance.
If succession plans are going to become a thing, the the Rooney rule is going to require some revision. I think it would be (and should be) illegal to say "only Black candidates can be hired via succession plan," but succession plans cleary do undermine the rule. The Rooney rule is kind of dumb anyway, but the intent behind it is not. I think the NFL needs to rethink methods for promotion of minority advancement in coaching and management.
Having said all that, in no way am I faulting the Pats for anything here - faulting the Pats for Rooney rule reasons is, in this case, absurd on its face.