NFL Chief Rebuffs Florida AG's Push to Scrap Rooney Rule

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday the league will not suspend the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and key front-office positions, directly rebuffing Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's demand that the league scrap the policy by May 1.

Goodell, speaking to reporters as league owners wrapped up meetings in Phoenix, stopped well short of a confrontation, saying the NFL would "engage" with Uthmeier while insisting the rule remains in place. "One thing that doesn't change is our values, and we believe that diversity has been a benefit to the National Football League," Goodell said. "We are well aware of the laws and where the laws are changing or 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 and what they are."

The standoff puts three Florida franchises — the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — directly in the crosshairs of a state civil rights enforcement action. A protracted legal fight between the state and the league could disrupt team operations and raise questions about Florida's business climate for major sports.

Uthmeier, in a video posted March 25, said the Rooney Rule "requir[es] race-based considerations in hiring" for head coaches and other key operational positions, which he argued violates Florida law. He also sent a letter to Goodell threatening "a civil rights enforcement action" if the league failed to comply, saying hiring should be based on "merit."

When pressed directly by reporters on whether the rule would be eliminated, Goodell was unequivocal. "No. No. It's been around a long time. We've evolved it. We've changed it. We'll continue to do that as circumstances warrant," he said.

The rule is named for the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, an uncle of former Congressman Tom Rooney and former state House Rep. Patrick Rooney, both Republicans from Palm Beach County. The league installed it league-wide in 2003 after two Black head coaches, Tony Dungy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dennis Green of the Minnesota Vikings, were fired despite winning records.

Uthmeier has not publicly announced a timeline for filing any enforcement action. Goodell did not say when or whether formal talks with the attorney general's office would begin.

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