AT A GLANCE
• NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is cooperating with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
• The investigation targets the Rooney Rule and other diversity hiring practices.
• Uthmeier’s subpoena seeks NFL diversity reports, coaching census data and demographic surveys from 2017 to the present.
• Goodell defended the league’s programs, saying the NFL believes they are within the law.
Roger Goodell Defended The League’s Diversity Hiring Efforts And Said The NFL Believes Its Programs Comply With The Law
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is cooperating with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier after receiving a subpoena tied to a civil rights investigation into the Rooney Rule and other diversity hiring practices.
The investigation focuses on the NFL’s longstanding diversity efforts, including the Rooney Rule, which was created to expand opportunities for minority coaching and front office candidates in a league where Black coaches and executives have remained underrepresented at the highest levels.
Goodell Defends The Rooney Rule During League Meetings
Goodell addressed the investigation during league meetings in Orlando, confirming that the NFL is working with the Florida attorney general’s office while defending the league’s hiring programs.
“I think we have been very clear about our programs, and we obviously evaluate them all the time, not just for how they get better, but also to make sure that they’re consistent with the law,” Goodell said of the NFL Rooney Rule investigation.
“We’re engaging with the Florida attorney general and will continue to. We’ll share everything we’re doing with them. We think it’s certainly within the law, but also something very positive,” he added.
Florida Attorney General Seeks Diversity Hiring Records
Uthmeier sent the subpoena on May 13, requiring the league to appear at the attorney general’s office in Tallahassee on June 12 and produce extensive records related to its hiring and diversity practices.
The requested documents include “all diversity reports, coaching census data, or demographic surveys that reflect the race and sex of coaching staffs of the teams from 2017 to the present.”
In March, Uthmeier formally urged the NFL to suspend the Rooney Rule and threatened enforcement action if the league refused. He described the policy as an act of “blatant race and sex discrimination.”
Also Read: Florida Attorney General Subpoenas NFL Over Rooney Rule Hiring Policy
The Investigation Also Includes The NFL Accelerator Program
The investigation also extends to the NFL’s accelerator program, which launched in 2022 to connect diverse coaching and front office candidates with team owners and executives.
The program has recently undergone changes and now includes non minority participants. Nearly half of this year’s cohort is made up of white men.
Goodell defended the accelerator program, saying participants are “the best of the best and they are a very diverse group.”
The Rooney Rule Was Created To Open Doors In NFL Hiring
The Rooney Rule was first implemented in 2003 and requires teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach and general manager openings. Teams must also interview at least one minority candidate for coordinator roles.
The policy is named after late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney and was designed to address longstanding barriers for Black coaches and executives in the NFL.
While the Rooney Rule has been in place for more than two decades, the league’s diversity hiring struggles have been documented for years, with Black coaching candidates continuing to face limited representation in top leadership positions despite the policy’s existence.
