TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a letter to the NFL’s commissioner on Wednesday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier accused the league of civil rights violations due to hiring policies based on race and sex.
To start with, Uthmeier cautioned NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell over the league’s “Rooney Rule,” which requires teams to do the following:
- Conduct an in-person interview with at least two “minority and/or female” candidates for any general manager or head coaching position
- Interview at least two “minorities and/or women” for all coordinator positions
- Interview at least one “diverse candidate” for the quarterback coach position or any senor level executive position on the team
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In addition, Uthmeier said, the NFL mandates that all teams employ a female or minority coach as an offensive assistant.
“Applicants of certain approved races are guaranteed at least two interview opportunities, while applicants of disapproved races are not,” the letter reads. “Applicants of certain approved races and sex are guaranteed employment for certain positions, while applicants of disapproved races and sex are not.”
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In response to these sorts of policies, Uthmeier invoked the Florida Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of factors like race and sex.
“The Rooney Rule and its offshoots require precisely what Florida law forbids,” the letter continues. “They require teams to limit, segregate and classify applicants for certain employment and training opportunities because of race and sex.”
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.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) March 25, 2026
We are putting Commissioner Roger Goodell on notice: the Rooney Rule violates Florida law, and it must stop. pic.twitter.com/g8La6TzUZw
As a result, Uthmeier demanded that the NFL stop discriminating on factors like race and sex, instead focusing on “merit-based employment.”
The attorney general also told Goodell to confirm by May 1 that the NFL will no longer enforce the Rooney Rule or “any variation or extension thereof” on teams in Florida.
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Failure to provide such confirmation could result in a civil rights enforcement action, Uthmeier warned.
“NFL fans in Florida don’t care what color their coach’s skin is,” he concludes. “They care what colors their coach is wearing — and that those colors are winning on the football field."
Uthmeier’s full letter can be read below: