For more than two decades, the NFL has used the Rooney Rule to promote diversity in leadership, but it has now become a legal liability for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The Rooney Rule requires NFL teams to interview at least two minority candidates for major roles like head coach, general manager, and coordinator. But while Goodell continues to defend the rule as a pathway to opportunity, Florida now sees it very differently.

On Wednesday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter to Goodell urging the NFL to nix the Rooney Rule. As per Uthmeier, the Rooney rule violates the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992, and it provides grounds for formally putting Goodell on notice.

“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,” James Uthmeier wrote in a statement via X. “We are putting Commissioner Roger Goodell on notice: the Rooney Rule violates Florida law, and it must stop.”

The Rooney Rule came into effect in 2003 after Black head coaches Dennis Green and Tony Dungy were fired despite strong records in the 2002 NFL season. At the time, the NFL named the rule after Dan Rooney, the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner and then-Chair of the NFL’s workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEI).

Over the years, the Rooney Rule has expanded beyond the inclusion of minority candidates in the process of hiring head coaches to include several leadership roles across NFL organizations. The NFL even added incentives with the rule so NFL teams can receive compensatory draft picks if another franchise hires away a minority coach or executive they developed. In 2022, the NFL broadened the Rooney Rule further to include women as minorities.

But now, Uthmeier believes that mandating interviews based on race and not merit crosses a legal line and does not actually lead to meaningful change. Uthmeier’s letter now puts pressure on Roger Goodell and the league at a critical time. With the NFL’s annual meeting set to take place in Phoenix next week, owners will already be reviewing league policies and regulations. And Uthmeier just put forth Florida’s demand for some action with the Rooney Rule to be included in that discussion. 

“The NFL’s use of the Rooney rule violates Florida law by requiring race-based considerations in hiring,” Uthmeier stated in a clip shared with his X post. “Florida law is clear – hiring decisions cannot be based on race. And the Rooney rule mandates race-based interviews and incentivizes race. Space decisions – that’s discrimination.”

“We’re demanding the NFL suspend the Rooney rule, and failure to do so may result in enforcement actions against the league for race-based discrimination,” Uthmeier added. “NFL teams and their fans don’t care about the race of the coaching staff. They want a merit-based system that gives their team the best chance to win.”

While talking to Fox News Digital, James Uthmeier also pointed out what he sees as a contradiction. Uthmeier pointed out that while the NFL drafts players purely on merit, their hiring practices should not be any different. So, Uthmeier wants the rule removed at least in Florida, which is home to the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

In his letter, Uthmeier also requested a formal response from the NFL by May 1, 2026. So far, the NFL hasn’t issued an official reply on this matter, but notably, Roger Goodell has already acknowledged concerns around the Rooney Rule this offseason.

Roger Goodell weighs in on the Rooney Rule after one minority hiring in 2026

After the 2025 NFL season, ten head coaching jobs opened across the league. Yet none went to African-American candidates. Only one minority hire occurred when Robert Saleh of Lebanese heritage landed a head coaching role with the Tennessee Titans. That outcome raises another question: if the Rooney Rule is in place, why aren’t the results improving? Just a day after the hiring cycle ended, Roger Goodell addressed the issue publicly.

“We need to continue to make progress,” Roger Goodell said in an interview back in February. “I believe that, and I believe diversity is good for us. I think we have become a more diverse league across every platform, including coaching. But we still have more work to do.”

As things stand, only three African-American head coaches will enter the 2026 season: Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans, and Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets. That marks just the fifth time since 2003 that no Black candidate secured a head coaching job in the NFL during an offseason. Even so, Goodell continues to defend the Rooney Rule as a net positive, and it has at least opened doors for candidates who might otherwise be overlooked in the NFL. At the same time, there have already been cases made against the Rooney Rule. 

Former NFL head coach Brian Flores has filed a lawsuit accusing the league of racial discrimination, alleging that some teams conduct sham interviews simply to comply with the rule. In 2024, the America First Legal Foundation filed a similar civil rights complaint, echoing many of the concerns now raised by Florida.

Ultimately, while the Rooney Rule was made to solve a diversity problem in the NFL, it now faces mounting criticism. And with a May 1 deadline looming and legal pressure mounting, Roger Goodell may soon have to make a defining decision with the rule, at least in Florida.