Florida attorney general James Uthmeier issues investigative subpoena to NFL over Rooney Rule concerns
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in March that he wasn't getting rid of the Rooney Rule.
Florida attorney general James Uthmeier believes the NFL did not go far enough after the league made subtle changes to the language in the Rooney Rule. In March, Uthmeier demanded the league suspend the Rooney Rule over “discrimination” concerns . Now, he has issued an investigative subpoena to the league claiming the rule still violates Florida law.
Uthmeier announced the subpoena, and released the full letter he sent to the NFL, in a social media post Wednesday. We appreciate how quickly the NFL changed its website in response to our letter and capitulated on some of their discriminatory hiring quotas. But their response raises more questions about the Rooney Rule, and we look forward to their cooperation with the investigative subpoena… pic.
twitter. com/yi6BmSjZLx — Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) May 13, 2026 In the letter, Uthmeier said he appreciated how quickly the NFL altered the language of the Rooney Rule, but that the league’s changes invite more questions over the rule and its purpose. The Rooney Rule, which was adopted by the league in 2003, requires teams to “interview at least one or more diverse candidates before making a new hire.
” The policy now applies to a number of roles around the league, including head coaching jobs, general manager positions and other “football executive jobs,” per the league’s website. Teams are now required to interview two minority candidates for those roles. In his initial statement to the NFL, Uthmeier claimed the Rooney Rule violated Florida law by “requiring race-based considerations in hiring.