NFL to see if Raiders violated Rooney Rule in hiring Jon Gruden as coach

The NFL said Thursday it will investigate whether the Oakland Raiders violated the Rooney Rule when they hired Jon Gruden as coach.

The Fritz Pollard Alliance called for the investigation Wednesday out of concern that Raiders owner Mark Davis came to an agreement with Gruden before the team interviewed any minority candidates as required by the NFL since 2003.

The Fritz Pollard Alliance is dedicated to promoting diversity and equality of job opportunity in the coaching, front office and scouting staffs of NFL teams.

Davis said Tuesday at the news conference introducing Gruden as the team's new coach that he had been trying to make the move for six years and finally believed it would happen after a meeting in Philadelphia on Christmas Eve, the day before Gruden worked a game between the Raiders and Eagles on ESPN.

"I felt pretty confident that he was all-in," Davis said. "And that's the term that we were using in our discussions and everything, are you all-in? And I never wavered from all-in. And this time he didn't waver, either."

Davis fired Jack Del Rio a week later and the team officially hired Gruden on Jan. 6.

Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie said Tuesday he interviewed two minority candidates before Gruden's hiring was announced. Those candidates were Oakland tight ends coach Bobby Johnson and Southern California offensive coordinator Tee Martin.

• The Bears are expected to hire former Oregon coach Mark Helfrich as offensive coordinator. Helfrich has not worked in the NFL previously but he has spent time as an assistant under Chip Kelly and Bucs coach Dirk Koetter.

• The NFL is heading to a new destination in London, and the first matchup at English Premier League club Tottenham will be the Raiders against the Seahawks in October.