Mike Mularkey Admitted Titans Ran A Sham Interview Process After Hiring Him As Head Coach In 2016

On Thursday, Ray Horton and Steve Wilks joined Brian Flores’ class-action lawsuit against the NFL. Horton claims the Tennessee Titans brought him in for a “sham interview” in 2016.

This allegation from Horton aligns with comments made by former Titans head coach Mike Mularkey during an appearance on the ‘Steelers Realm’ podcast.

Mularkey revealed that Tennessee’s ownership group told him he’d get the head coaching job before the interview process was completed.

“I’ve always prided myself on doing the right thing in this business and I can’t say that’s true about everybody in this business,” Mularkey said. “It’s a very cutthroat business and a lot of guys will tell you that.  I allowed myself at one point when I was in Tennessee to get caught up in something I regret it and I still regret it. But the ownership there, Amy Adams Strunk and her family, came in and told me I was going be the head coach in 2016 before they went through the Rooney Rule.

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“And so, I sat there knowing I was the head coach in ’16 as they went through this fake hiring process. Knowing a lot of the coaches they were interviewing, knowing how much they prepared to go through those interviews, knowing that everything they could do and they had no chance of getting that job. Actually, the GM, Jon Robinson, he was in on the interview with me. He had no idea why he was interviewing me — that I had the job already.”

“Our 2016 head coach search was an open and competitive process during which we conducted in-person interviews with four candidates and followed all NFL rules,” the Titans told ESPN. “The organization was undecided on its next head coach during the process and made its final decision after consideration of all four candidates following the completion of the interviews.”

This is clearly a bad look for the Titans.