Why DeMeco Ryans was Smart and Brave to Turn Down Interview No. 2 with the Vikings

Why should Ryans put himself through a potential bogus interview just to make the Vikings look good?

When news broke that DeMeco Ryans turned down his second interview with the Vikings to become their head coach, I didn't understand why.

At first, I thought Ryans had made a major mistake, perhaps an emotional decision to remain loyal to the 49ers after losing a heartbreaking NFC Championship game.

Then Brian Flores filed his class action lawsuit against the NFL for racist hiring practices, and I reconsidered Ryans' motives.

We learned that Flores was scheduled to interview for the New York Giants' head coaching vacancy two days after they already had agreed to hire Brian Daboll for that positon, according to text messages Flores received from New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. So Flores' interview was a sham, most likely to satisfy The Rooney Rule, which mandates each team must interview at least one minority for a head coaching vacancy. Flores never had a real chance to get the Giants job.

I'm guessing Ryans felt the same way about the Vikings job.

The Vikings recently hired a new general manager whose name is Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. He got his start in the NFL on the 49ers when Jim Harbaugh was their head coach. And it is no secret that the Vikings are interested in Harbaugh and Harbaugh is interested in them.

So why should Ryans put himself through a potential bogus interview just to make the Vikings look good before they inevitably hire Harbaugh or someone else? Ryans is a superstar coaching candidate who will have his pick of jobs in the future. He's not desperate. He's smart and brave, and I commend him.