Broncos owner Pat Bowlen will need to abide by the NFL's Rooney Rule before hiring a replacement for Mike Shanahan.
The Rooney Rule was established in 2003 and requires teams with head coaching vacancies to interview minority candidates.
The rule is named after Dan Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Since the rule was implemented, more minority coaches have been hired, including Mike Tomlin by the Steelers.
In 2003, the NFL fined the Detroit Lions $200,000 for violating the rule. The team claimed it tried to interview minority candidates but said they withdrew from the process, believing Steve Mariucci was going to be hired anyway, which he was.
