Florida Tells NFL To Abandon ‘Race-And-Sex-Based Hiring Policies’
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Florida’s attorney general warned teh NFL that it may face civil rights enforcement if it does not abandon its race- and sex-based hiring policies, specifically the Rooney rule. AG James Uthmeier said he would issue a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell ahead of the league’s upcoming meetings, arguing that the Rooney Rule violates Florida law by conditioning hiring opportunities on race and sex. He contended that the rule and related diversity initiatives amount to discriminatory practices that deprive some applicants of employment and training opportunities, and he demanded a commitment by May 1 that the league will stop enforcing the Rooney Rule for Florida-based teams.
The Federalist notes that the Rooney Rule was adopted in 2003 to require interviewing diverse candidates and has since been expanded to more positions. It also mentions a 2022 update that includes women within the minority candidate definition.The NFL had not responded to The Federalist’s request for comment at the time of publication. The piece includes a social-media excerpt from the AG and a citation to the NFL’s own description of the rule,which frames the policy as a merit-based initiative tied to the league’s DEI efforts.
The article is written by Shawn Fleetwood, a staff writer for The Federalist, and provides his bio and links to related content and tags, including civil rights law, DEI, Florida, James Uthmeier, NFL, race- and sex-based hiring, Rooney Rule, and sports.
The state of Florida is warning the National Football League (NFL) that it may face legal action if it fails to abandon its “race-and-sex-based hiring policies.”
“Next week, the NFL’s annual league meeting begins in Phoenix, Arizona, and the NFL draft is only a month away. Ahead of the annual meeting, my office is sending a letter to the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, regarding the league’s hiring practices — specifically, the use of the so-called “Rooney Rule,” which requires NFL teams to interview candidates based on race,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Wednesday. “The NFL’s use of the Rooney Rule violates Florida law by requiring race-based considerations in hiring.”
According to the NFL’s website, the Rooney Rule was first adopted in 2003 at the recommendation of what is now the league’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. The practice “originally required every team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one or more diverse candidates before making a new hire,” but has since been expanded “to include a greater number of positions across NFL clubs.”
The league also updated its policy in 2022 to include women “as a part of the minority candidate definition.”
In his letter to Goodell, Uthmeier argued that the Rooney Rule and the NFL’s “related ‘diversity’ initiatives” violate existing Florida law. He noted that the Florida Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from engaging in discriminatory hiring practices — practices which he claimed the league is currently implementing.
“The Rooney Rule and its offshoots require precisely what Florida law forbids,” Uthmeier wrote. “They require teams to limit, segregate, and classify applicants for certain employment and training opportunities because of race and sex. And they do so in a way that tends to deprive applicants of opportunities for employment.”
The Florida attorney general went on to contend that, under the NFL’s current hiring practices, applicants “of certain approved races are guaranteed at least two interview opportunities, while applicants of disapproved races are not.” He further argued that similar dynamics exist when it comes to the league’s employment guarantees “for certain positions” and “special training and apprenticeship opportunities.”
“In other words, people with race and sex characteristics that the NFL doesn’t like are deprived of employment and training opportunities [that are] available to people with race and sex characteristics that the NFL likes. This policy is blatant race and sex discrimination. And it is illegal under Florida law,” Uthmeier wrote.
Uthmeier demanded that Goodell confirm “no later than” May 1 that the league will no longer enforce the Rooney Rule “or any variation or extension thereof” on teams headquartered in Florida. Should the league fail to do so, he said, it may be subject to “civil rights enforcement action.”
The NFL did not respond to The Federalist’s immediate request for comment.
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