NFL defends Rooney Rule legality amid Florida AG subpoena, updates to language

Florida attorney general James Uthmeier, who sent a letter to the NFL in March threatening legal action if the league didn’t abolish the Rooney Rule, said May 13 he has issued an investigative subpoena to the league regarding the rule and other initiatives. In a social media post that accompanied by a letter, Uthmeier noted the NFL “capitulated on some of their discriminatory hiring quotas” but said the league’s response “raises more questions about the Rooney Rule,” which was originally established in 2003 to increase diversity candidates for coaching and management positions in the league. What is the Rooney Rule?

Per the rule, NFL franchises must interview at least two minority candidates in person for available general manager or head coach roles. These interviews can either be in-person or virtual. Teams must also interview at least two external minority candidates for coordinator roles.

For senior-level positions such as executives or club president roles, at least one minority candidate must be interviewed. In 2022, the Rooney Rule expanded to include women as minority candidates and the quarterbacks coach position as one that falls under the requirements. “All in all, the Rooney Rule and the NFL’s related 'inclusive hiring' policies — and the NFL’s representations about these policies — continue to raise significant concerns under Florida law,” Uthmeier wrote in the letter.

The Rooney Rule has come under fire in recent years by both proponents and detractors. Out of the 10 head coaching jobs available during the 2026 hiring cycle, Robert Saleh, hired by the Tennessee Titans, was the only minority hire. There are just three Black head coaches in the NFL .