Adam Schefter is facing significant backlash for his post on X this Thursday.
The Chargers officially confirmed that they interviewed David Shaw for their head coach position, conducting an in-person interview. However, when ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared the news, he added a comment that stirred controversy.
“Chargers completed an interview with David Shaw for their head coaching job,” Schefter wrote. “They’re now in compliance with the Rooney Rule.”
Schefter tried to elaborate with subsequent remarks, noting that David Shaw has been a sought-after candidate for NFL teams and has recently interviewed for head coaching positions with both the Broncos and the Chargers in consecutive years.
Despite his attempt to clarify, the damage was done with the initial tweet.
Before this, Shaw served as the head coach at Stanford from 2011 until 2022, succeeding Jim Harbaugh. He had previously been Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator at Stanford (2007–2010) and the University of San Diego (2006). Harbaugh, who was interviewed by the Chargers for their head coaching position earlier this week, departed Stanford in 2011 to join the San Francisco 49ers.
This marks Shaw’s second NFL interview in as many seasons, having interviewed for the Denver Broncos head coaching job last year before they ultimately traded for head coach Sean Payton.
Shaw boasts an impressive 96-54 record in his 12 seasons at Stanford, making him the winningest head coach in the program’s history.
