Overview
- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued investigative subpoenas to the NFL over hiring rules known as the Rooney Rule.
- The subpoenas seek details on the interview policy and other diversity programs, including a past mandate for a minority offensive assistant, a diversity accelerator, and draft-pick rewards for developing minority staff.
- The NFL said its practices follow state and federal law, and its general counsel stated that teams may not consider race or sex in hiring decisions and that no quotas exist.
- The Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach, general manager, and coordinator jobs, and at least one minority candidate for quarterbacks coach, with women added to the policy in 2022.
- Critics say the policy often yields token interviews, and league data show progress has slipped, with nine minority head coaches in 2024 falling to five for 2026 and only one minority among 10 new hires.