Eddie George is still the head coach of the Tennessee State football team after being interviewed for the vacant head coaching position with the Chicago Bears.
It was a process George said was legitimate and not just to satisfy the NFL’s Rooney Rule.
The Rooney Rule is an NFL Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative named for the famed Pittsburgh Steelers ownership group, the Rooney Family. It requires that any NFL team with a coach opening interview at least one minority candidate.
“The thing about the Rooney Rule is, it doesn’t matter how you get in the room,” George told The Tennessean. “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 was a coaching fellow with the Bears during the summer of 2023, which put him in a position to be interviewed. The Bears eventually hired Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson after firing Matt Eberflus during the 2024 season.
“I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to interview had I not had a previous relationship and the respect for it,” he explained. “They were really pushing for me to come up even when I said, ‘Give me 48 hours to think about it.’ I thought they may say they didn’t have that much time, but they didn’t.”
George remains committed to elevating the Tigers’ football program after leading them to a share of their first Big South-OVC title since 1999 and the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2013.
TSU is scheduled to open the 2025 season against North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Aug. 30, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
“We’ve still got some work to do here, and we’re working on it,” he says.
