Florida attorney general demands NFL suspend Rooney Rule, citing 'discrimination'
The Rooney Rule was first adopted by the NFL in 2003.
The NFL’s annual league meeting will begin Sunday, and Florida attorney general James Uthmeier has one demand for the league: That it suspend the Rooney Rule. In a video Wednesday, Uthmeier called for the rule to be suspended, saying it violates Florida law by “requiring race-based considerations in hiring. ” Uthmeier threatened “enforcement actions against the league for race-based discrimination.
” 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 Rooney Rule, which was instituted by the league in 2003, requires teams to “interview at least one or more diverse candidates before making a new hire. ” The policy initially only applied to head-coaching job, though has expanded to other roles since its introduction.
Since 2009, both “general manager and primary football executive jobs” require NFL teams to interview two minority candidates , per the NFL’s website. Uthmeier sent a letter to the league urging it to stop applying the Rooney Rule to NFL teams in Florida — which include the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If the league does not comply, Uthmeier threatened that he would consider “ a civil rights enforcement action .