Last week, the attorney general of Florida, James Uthmeier, sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, to alert him that the league’s Rooney Rule (implemented to give Black coaches and executives in the league a better chance of being interviewed for open positions in the NFL) amounts to “blatant race and sex discrimination.” In response to the Florida AG, the commissioner has stated that, “we’ll continue to do that.”
According to NFL.com, Goodell responded to the attorney general at the end of the NFL league meetings on April 1. Although Uthmeier is raising an issue regarding the DEI practices of the current government and the state of Florida, Goodell disagrees that there are any legal issues with the Rooney Rule.
Goodell understands the changes in the political landscape since President Trump returned to office, but doesn’t seem concerned about how the Rooney Rule has been used over the years, citing that there have been changes as well. He notes that since the rule was created, it has also evolved with the times to remain effective for the NFL.
“The Rooney Rule has been around a long time,” Goodell said. “We’ve evolved it, changed it. We’ll continue to do that.”
The league has been a strong proponent of diversity off the field in a sport where Black athletes dominate on the field, and the commissioner wants to bring more diversity to the managerial and executive ranks. He is willing to speak to the Florida Attorney General about the rule.
“One thing that doesn’t change is our values and we believe in diversity and its benefit to the National Football League,” Goodell said. “We are well aware of the laws and where the laws are changing and evolving. We think the Rooney Rule is consistent with those and we certainly will engage with the Florida AG or anybody else as we have in the past to talk about our policies.”