Florida Attorney General Claims NFL’s Rooney Rule Is ‘Discrimination,' Demands League Suspend It
"Florida law is clear. Hiring decisions cannot be based on race," the state's attorney general said
Attorney General James Uthmeier Credit: James Uthmeier/x NEED TO KNOW Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is asking the NFL to suspend its Rooney Rule The practice was first implemented in 2003 to combat “historically low numbers of minorities in head coaching positions” “NFL teams and their fans don’t care about the race of the coaching staff,” Uthmeier said Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is speaking out against the NFL’s Rooney Rule, asking that the hiring practice be suspended. In a post to X on Wednesday, March 25, Uthmeier, 38, shared a video in which he referred to “race-based hiring practices” as "discrimination. " “Ahead of the annual meeting, my office is sending a letter to the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell regarding the league’s hiring practices,” Uthmeier said, referring to the league's upcoming annual meeting in Phoenix.
“Specifically, the use of the so-called Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview candidates based on race. ” Professional sports are a visible example of a merit-based system, but through the Rooney Rule, the NFL requires its teams to use race-based hiring practices. We are putting Commissioner Roger Goodell on notice: the Rooney Rule violates Florida law, and it must stop.
pic. twitter. com/g8La6TzUZw — Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) March 25, 2026 “The NFL’s use of the Rooney Rule violates Florida law by requiring race-based considerations in hiring.
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,” he continued.