Steelers' owner Dan Rooney pointed out to the media on Tuesday that current coach Mike Tomlin wasn't a Rooney Rule candidate. Under the Rooney Rule, team's with vacant head coaching positions must interview a minority candidate. "Let me say this, Mike Tomlin was not part of the Rooney Rule," Rooney said. "We had already interviewed [Bears' defensive coordinator] Ron Rivera, and so that fulfilled the obligation. We went on, had heard about Mike, called him in and talked to him. He was very impressive. We got him back and talked to him on the phone often, and he just showed that he was going to be a terrific coach, which I think is coming to bear. But, he was not part of the Rooney Rule."