Super Bowl champion Ryan Clark blasted the New England Patriots on "Inside the NFL" for how they complied with the NFL's Rooney Rule when they hired Mike Vrabel.

Ryan Clark, former Super Bowl champion and ESPN analyst, criticizes the New England Patriots for their handling of the Rooney Rule during their recent head-coaching search, reigniting debates about NFL diversity efforts.

People in New England reportedly “disapproved” of the team’s handling of the Rooney Rule in the head coach search

In searching for the successor to Jerod Mayo, the New England Patriots adhered to the ‘Rooney Rule’ — not in practice, but merely in principle.

Mike Vrabel is believed to be the frontrunner for the head coaching job in New England, and the team quickly cleared a path to hiring him by interviewing former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton on Tuesday.

Plus, the Cowboys were on-brand in their handling of Mike McCarthy, and thoughts about future contracts for Sam Darnold and Brock Purdy.

Former NFL GM Rod Graves criticized the Patriots' usage of the Rooney Rule by interviewing two black candidates before hiring Mike Vrabel.

An NFL insider believes the Patriots are ignoring the Rooney Rule in their pursuit of Mike Vrabel as their next head coach.

The Patriots announced they completed interviews with Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton on Tuesday. That makes them the first team to comply with the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to conduct in-person interviews with at least two minority candidates.

The Patriots are searching for a new coach after firing Jerod Mayo on Sunday following a brutal first season at the helm.

Byron Leftwich, a former NFL quarterback, two-time Super Bowl winner and recently Tom Brady’s offensive coordinator with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, interviewed for the same job with the Seahawks recently. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reported that Friday.

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn will interview with every team that has a head-coaching vacancy. Except one. Per multiple reports, Glenn declined an invitation to interview with the Patriots.