NFL issued with subpoena by Florida attorney general in investigation into potential Rooney Rule violations

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has issued a subpoena to the National Football League (NFL), as his office investigates whether the organization has committed potential civil rights violations related to its Rooney Rule and other employment practices, policies, and programs.

Mr Uthmeier, who had previously threatened possible enforcement actions against the league in March if it did not suspend the 23-year-old rule, sent the subpoena along with a letter to NFL executive vice president and attorney Ted Ullyot on Wednesday.

The subpoena commands the league to appear at the attorney general’s office in Tallahassee, Florida, on 12 June. It also requests 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."

"All in all, the Rooney Rule and the NFL’s related ‘inclusive hiring’ policies — and the NFL’s representations about these policies — continue to raise significant concerns under Florida law," Mr Uthmeier wrote in the accompanying letter.

The Rooney Rule mandates that 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.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, speaking at the league meetings in Phoenix in March, acknowledged the evolving political landscape surrounding diversity initiatives in the US.

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However, he maintained that he did not believe there should be any legal issues with the league’s policy.

"The Rooney Rule has been around a long time," Mr Goodell said then. "We’ve evolved it, changed it. We’ll continue to do that." The NFL did not comment on the subpoena on Wednesday.

However, in a letter sent to Mr Uthmeier on 1 May, the league stated: "The NFL’s pursuit of top-tier talent led to the adoption of the Rooney Rule in 2003.

“Importantly, the Rooney Rule does not impose any hiring quotas or mandates, and it does not license clubs to consider race or sex in making hiring decisions. Hiring decisions for NFL teams are made by the individual clubs — not the League — and those decisions are based on merit.

“The Rooney Rule neither requires, nor permits, any team to make a hiring decision on the basis of race, sex, or any other protected characteristic. To do so would be an express violation of League policy."

Mr Uthmeier commended the league for altering the Rooney Rule language on its website after receiving his initial warning letter in March, but added that the revisions raised further questions.

The updated terminology on the NFL site now states: "The Rooney Rule establishes best practices designed to expand opportunity and strengthen the NFL’s talent pipeline across leadership roles. It is part of a broader effort to develop a deep and sustainable talent pipeline across all levels of the NFL.

“The policy is intended to ensure that qualified candidates from a wide range of backgrounds are identified and considered for leadership roles." Previously, the website had stated the rule aimed to "increase the number of minorities hired" and that diversity "enriches the game and creates a more effective, quality organization."

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"We appreciate how quickly the NFL changed its website in response to our letter and capitulated on some of their discriminatory hiring quotas," Mr Uthmeier said. "But their response raises more questions about the Rooney Rule, and we look forward to their cooperation with the investigative subpoena we issued them today."

In its 1 May letter, the league had told Mr Uthmeier: "We appreciate that your letter has brought to our attention some outdated information on the NFL’s website regarding these programs. This information is in the process of being updated to accurately reflect the NFL’s current programs and policies."

Mr Uthmeier sent his first letter to Mr Goodell in March, asserting that the Rooney Rule amounted to "blatant race and sex discrimination." The current subpoena expands its focus beyond the Rooney Rule to include other NFL diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

These encompass a discontinued mandate that required teams to hire a minority offensive assistant, the diversity accelerator program, the Mackie development programme for college officials, and the resolution that awards teams draft picks if one of its minority assistant coaches or executives is hired to be the coach or general manager of another team.

The NFL's front office and coach accelerator program, which was paused in 2025, is scheduled to be held next week in Orlando. Created in 2022 as an extension of the Rooney Rule to increase diversity among coaches and front office executives, it will now include non-minority participants.