Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Wednesday demanded that the NFL suspend its Rooney Rule, saying the policy requiring teams to interview minority candidates for coaching and front office positions violates state anti-discrimination laws.
Uthmeier sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and posted a video on X putting the league on notice.
He threatened civil rights enforcement actions if the NFL does not comply and set a May 1 deadline for confirmation that the rule would no longer apply to teams in Florida.
"The Rooney Rule and its offshoots are illegal in Florida," Uthmeier wrote in the letter.
"Florida law is clear. Hiring decisions cannot be based on race, and the Rooney Rule mandates race-based interviews and incentivizes race-based decisions. That's discrimination."
The Rooney Rule, adopted by the NFL in 2003 and named after the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, requires teams to interview at least one diverse candidate before hiring for head-coach, general-manager, and coordinator positions.
One supporter of the rule, Michele C. Meyer-Shipp, interim executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, in a Thursday statement, said, "The Rooney Rule doesn’t limit opportunity; it expands it.
"It doesn’t cap who a club can consider or dictate who gets hired, and it’s not a hiring rule," she added.
"What it does is increase fair competition and ensure a true merit-based process by opening the door beyond the traditional 'tap on the shoulder' system, so the best candidates from all backgrounds are actually seen, evaluated, and can compete."
Not everyone agrees.
Jason Whitlock, host of "Fearless with Jason Whitlock," in a statement from August 2025 said:
"The Rooney Rule inspired, encouraged, fosters racism. The Rooney Rule has been a mistake and needs to end."
"The Rooney Rule was the NFL saying, 'Yep, we'll hire any player. We'll pay any of these black players $10, $15, $20, now $50, and $60 million a year. But you know what? When it comes to the head coaching position and these executive positions, we're racist.'"
"It hasn't ended racism," Whitlock added, "It hasn't ended the allegations of racism. It's actually inspired them."
The Rule has since been expanded to include additional DEI-type requirements for minority and female candidates.
Florida is home to three NFL franchises: the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Uthmeier argued that professional sports should operate as a merit-based system and that the rule amounts to unlawful race-based considerations.
No immediate response from the NFL or Goodell was reported.
The demand comes amid broader state efforts to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in public institutions and local governments.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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