NFL subpoenaed in Florida over Rooney Rule and DEI hiring practices
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier subpoenaed the NFL on Wednesday after the league failed to address his concerns about its diversity hiring practices, especially the Rooney Rule-a requirement that teams interview minority candidates for roles such as head coach, coordinator, and general manager. Uthmeier had previously asked the NFL to suspend the policy, setting a may 1 response deadline.
Although NFL representatives responded and the league modified its website language, Uthmeier said the changes did not resolve what he views as Florida law violations, arguing the Rooney Rule unlawfully gives preference based on race. The subpoena orders the NFL to appear in Tallahassee on June 12 and is widely seen as pressure aimed at Florida’s three NFL teams to avoid applying the league’s diversity hiring practices for top positions.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has defended the policy, saying the league’s values include diversity and that it believes the Rooney Rule complies wiht evolving laws, and that it will continue engaging with the Florida AG.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier subpoenaed the NFL on Wednesday after the league failed to provide a satisfactory response to the Republican official’s concerns about diversity hiring practices.
At the heart of Florida’s scrutiny against the NFL is the Rooney Rule. The rule sets an interview quota for coaches from minority groups, requiring every team to interview at least two external candidates from underrepresented groups for head coach, coordinator, and general manager jobs.
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In late March, Uthmeier demanded that the league suspend the diversity hiring policy and asked for a response by May 1. NFL lawyer Ted Ullyot responded to the attorney general’s request by then, but the league did not eliminate the policy or its diversity hiring programs.
“My office appreciates the NFL’s stated commitment to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination,” Uthmeier wrote in a new letter. “We also appreciate how quickly the NFL changed its website in response to our letter, as well as the NFL’s assertion that it no longer requires the consideration of race or sex in the hiring of at least one offensive assistant.”
“Unfortunately, neither your letter nor the changes to your website assuage our concerns over the NFL’s violations of Florida law,” he said. “In fact, they raise new ones.”
Uthmeier argues the Rooney Rule violates Florida law because it gives preference to one race over another, which he said is wrong, illegal, and unnecessary.
The subpoena orders the league to appear at the Florida attorney general’s office in Tallahassee on June 12 at 9 a.m., Fox News and OutKick reported.
The subpoena effectively pressures the state’s three professional football teams — Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — not to apply the league’s diversity hiring practices for top jobs.
NFL COMMISSIONER STANDS BY ROONEY RULE AND DIVERSITY DESPITE FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL PRESSURE
The NFL has not made a public statement about the subpoena, but its leader did defend the Rooney Rule and similar policies after the attorney general’s initial letter.
“One thing that doesn’t change is our values, and we believe in diversity and its benefit to the National Football League,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “We are well aware of the laws and where the laws are changing and evolving. We think the Rooney Rule is consistent with those, and we certainly will engage with the Florida AG or anybody else as we have in the past to talk about our policies.”
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