Florida is preparing for a challenge to scrap the NFL’s longtime Rooney Rule, which was created to increase the number of minority coaches and top executives in the league.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier urged NFL officials in a letter Wednesday, March 25, that the Rooney Rule and other similar hirings are “unlawful” under Florida civil rights laws.
In a letter to league commissioner Roger Goodell, Uthmeier wrote: “As a Floridian, I wish the Miami Dolphins the best of luck with their new football coach. However, as Florida’s chief legal officer, I am writing a warning to the NFL about their race-and-gender-based hiring policies.”
Uthmeier pressed the NFL to confirm by May 1 that it would no longer enforce its policies requiring teams to interview minority candidates, including women, or the state could take “civil rights enforcement action.”
“NFL fans in Florida don’t care what color their coach’s skin is. They don’t care what colors their coach wears – and that those colors win on the football field.
The Rooney Rule and its offshoots are illegal in Florida,” concluded Florida AG Uthmeier.
What is the NFL’s Rooney Rule?
The Rooney Rule was enacted in 2003 to ensure diversity in leadership among NFL clubs in an effort to promote promising candidates who have an equal chance to prove they can lead based on their skills and qualifications.
To this end, the NFL established a committee called the “Workplace Diversity Committee” and later renamed it the “Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee.”
So it was named after the chairman of the committee at the time, Dan Rooney, who was the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Rooney Rule was formulated in 2003, requiring NFL clubs to interview two outside minority candidates for open head coaching, general manager and coordinator positions.
What sparked criticism of the Rooney Rule was that this offseason, only Tennessee Titans coach Robert Saleh, with roots of Lebanese descent, was on board.
Out of 10 openings, only one minority candidate landed a top coaching role.
On the other hand, the NFL has confirmed receipt of the letter and that the league is reviewing its contents, as reported by ESPN.
“We believe our policies comply with the law and reflect our commitment to fairness, opportunity and building the strongest possible teams,” NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said.
