Florida AG warns NFL: Drop affirmative action ‘Rooney Rule’ or face legal consequences

FIRST ON FOX: Florida’s chief law enforcement officer announced Wednesday he will warn NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that the NFL’s longstanding "Rooney Rule" mandating interviews for minority and ethnically diverse candidates is illegal in the Sunshine State.

The rule, named for late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who chaired the NFL’s Diversity Committee, went into effect in 2003 after Black coaches Tony Dungy and Dennis Green were fired the previous season despite strong win-loss records.

Attorney General James Uthmeier’s state hosts three teams — the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins — and the AG is a fan of the latter.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell before a game between the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts at Empower Field At Mile High Dec. 15, 2024, in Denver, Colo. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

"As a Floridian, I wish the Miami Dolphins well with their new head football coach. As Florida’s chief legal officer, however, I write with a word of caution to the NFL on its race-and-sex-based hiring policies," he wrote in a letter to Goodell obtained by Fox News Digital.

Goodell must, in turn, confirm no later than May 1 that the NFL will no longer enforce the Rooney Rule or any variation of it or face civil rights enforcement actions.

"As applied in Florida, the NFL’s ‘Rooney Rule,’ which governs the hiring of certain team executives and coaches, brazenly violates Florida law. So, too, do the NFL’s related 'diversity' initiatives," the letter adds.

Uthmeier told Fox News Digital the NFL drafts players based on merit and should do the same in the front office.

"NFL teams are not going to hire an offensive lineman based on his race. So, why should hiring for positions off the field be based on illegal DEI quotas?" he said.

"DEI is discriminatory and illegal. The NFL doesn’t get special treatment, and any business operating in Florida is required to comply with Florida law. Good coaches are judged on wins, not the color of their skin."

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Pittsburgh Steelers owners Art Rooney II and Dan Rooney stand with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in Arlington, Texas, in 2011. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Uthmeier noted in his letter that expansions of the Rooney Rule now include women as a categorized qualifying minority and criticized provisions awarding third-round draft picks to teams that develop minority talent into GMs or head coaches as well as requiring the employment of a female or minority coach as an offensive assistant.

Uthmeier argued that Florida law bars employers from making hiring or workplace decisions based on protected characteristics such as race or sex, including any practices that could limit opportunities for certain groups.

"The Rooney Rule and its offshoots require precisely what Florida law forbids. They require teams to limit, segregate, and classify applicants for certain employment and training opportunities because of race and sex. And they do so in a way that tends to deprive applicants of opportunities for employment," he wrote.

Trevor Lawrence (16) of the Jacksonville Jaguars scores a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter at EverBank Stadium Oct. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

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Uthmeier told Goodell, "The Rooney Rule and its offshoots are illegal in Florida."

Fox News Digital reached out to the NFL for comment.