The National Football League is cooperating with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier following a subpoena issued as part of an investigation into potential civil rights violations related to the league's Rooney Rule and other employment practices.
Attorney General Uthmeier sent the subpoena on May 13, with his office scrutinizing whether the NFL's policies, including the Rooney Rule, discriminate. The Rooney Rule mandates that NFL teams interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach, general manager, and coordinator positions, and at least one minority candidate for the quarterbacks coach role.
Uthmeier previously threatened enforcement actions in March if the 23-year-old rule was not suspended, stating in a letter to Commissioner Roger Goodell that it amounts to "blatant race and sex discrimination."
Goodell's Response
Goodell addressed the situation during league meetings in Orlando, Florida, stating, "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." He added, "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."
Subpoena Details
The subpoena requires the league to appear at the attorney general's office in Tallahassee on June 12 and produce extensive documents, including "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."
Accelerator Program Under Scrutiny
Among the programs under review is the accelerator program, launched in 2022 as an extension of the Rooney Rule to boost diversity among coaches and front office executives. This initiative connects participants with owners and team executives and offers informative sessions. The NFL recently held its revamped accelerator program in Orlando, which now includes non-minority participants, with nearly half of this year's group being white men. Goodell commented on the program, saying, "There are a lot of candidates up there that are diverse, that are getting the opportunity to improve themselves and to get exposure, to get an opportunity." He emphasized, "the best of the best and they are a very diverse group, but they are the best of the best."
