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Florida attorney general James Uthmeier issues investigative subpoena to NFL over Rooney Rule concerns
TL;DR
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has issued an investigative subpoena to the NFL regarding concerns over the Rooney Rule. He claims the rule still violates Florida law despite recent changes made by the league.
Key points
- James Uthmeier issued a subpoena to the NFL
- Concerns over the Rooney Rule's compliance with Florida law
- Uthmeier previously demanded suspension of the Rooney Rule
- NFL made changes to the Rooney Rule language
- Changes invite more questions about the rule's purpose
Mentioned in this story
James UthmeierNFL
Florida attorney general James Uthmeier issues investigative subpoena to NFL over Rooney Rule concerns
Florida attorney general James Uthmeier believes the NFL did not go far enough after the league made subtle changes to the language in the Rooney Rule. Uthmeier — who in March demanded the league suspend the Rooney Rule over “discrimination” concerns — issued an investigative subpoena to the league Wednesday claiming the rule still violates Florida law.
Uthmeier announced the subpoena, and released the full letter he sent to the NFL, in a social-media post Wednesday.
In the letter, Uthmeier said he appreciated how quickly the NFL altered the language of the Rooney Rule, but that the league’s changes invite more questions over the rule and its purpose.
The Rooney Rule, which was adopted by the league in 2023, requires teams to “interview at least one or more diverse candidates before making a new hire.” The policy now applies to a number of roles around the league, including head-coaching jobs, general manager positions and other “football executive jobs,” per the league’s website. Teams are now required to interview two minority candidates for those roles.
In his initial statement to the NFL, Uthmeier claimed the Rooney Rule violated Florida law by “requiring race-based considerations in hiring.” He also threatened “enforcement actions against the league for race-based discrimination.”
In response, the NFL quietly altered some of the language in the rule. One of those changes involved making it clear that the team has the final say in which candidate gets hired. Another removed the phrase “aims to increase the number of minorities hired” to read “expands the pool of candidates required.”
In his letter Wednesday, Uthmeier called out that edited phrase, saying making hiring decisions based on race violates Florida law.
Uthmeier also called out three other NFL policies which seek to hire, train or mentor women or minority candidates. Uthmeier claimed those policies also violated Florida law, which prohibits employers from considering race or sex when making hiring decisions.
Q&A
What is the Rooney Rule and why is it controversial?
The Rooney Rule requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation jobs, but it has faced criticism for not effectively promoting diversity.
What prompted James Uthmeier to issue a subpoena to the NFL?
Uthmeier issued the subpoena because he believes the NFL's recent changes to the Rooney Rule do not adequately address discrimination concerns and still violate Florida law.
What changes did the NFL make to the Rooney Rule?
The NFL made subtle changes to the language of the Rooney Rule, but Uthmeier argues these changes raise further questions about the rule's effectiveness and intent.