Florida Targets NFL In DEI Crackdown—Subpoenas League Over ‘Rooney Rule’ Promoting Coaching Diversity

BreakingBusinessFlorida Targets NFL In DEI Crackdown—Subpoenas League Over ‘Rooney Rule’ Promoting Coaching DiversityByConor Murray,Forbes Staff. Murray is a Forbes news reporter covering entertainment trends.Follow AuthorMay 13, 2026, 03:29pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.ToplineFlorida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a subpoena to the National Football League on Wednesday targeting the league’s decades-old “Rooney Rule,” suggesting it violates Florida law by promoting racial or gender diversity in hiring coaches. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier alleged the NFL's "Rooney Rule" violates state law. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)Getty ImagesKey FactsUthmeier said in a letter to the NFL, which he posted on X on Wednesday, the NFL’s “inclusive hiring” policies “raise significant concerns under Florida law,” further accusing the league of a “history of open discrimination.”Uthmeier cited the NFL’s “Rooney Rule,” which was implemented in 2003 and requires teams to interview at least two people of color or women for head coach and general manager positions, and to interview at least one person of color or woman for quarterback coach and senior executive positions.The attorney general’s letter follows a March letter he wrote to the NFL demanding the league drop the rule by May 1, which it refused to do.Following the March letter, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is “well aware of the laws” and believes the “Rooney Rule is consistent with those,” adding the rule has “been around a long time” and will continue to evolve.Got a tip? Share confidential information with Forbes.Editorial StandardsReprints & PermissionsLOADING VIDEO PLAYER...FORBES’ FEATURED Video