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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league's diversity hiring mandate is “certainly within the law” despite Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's insistence that it “brazenly violates Florida law.”
But Goodell, speaking to reporters in Orlando May 19 at the Spring League meetings, also said the league has "engaging" with Uthmeier's office, and will "continue to share everything we're doing with them."
Uthmeier has said the National Football League's "Rooney Rule," a two-decade-old diversity initiative that requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and front office positions, runs afoul of the Florida Civil Rights Act and federal anti-discrimination law.
And Florida's Republican leadership, led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, has opposed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, or DEI.
"I think we have been very clear about our programs and that we obviously evaluate them all the time, not just for how they get better, but also to make sure that they're consistent with law," Goodell said in Orlando.
"We're engaging with the Florida attorney general," he added. "We think it's certainly within the law, but also something very positive."
Previous coverage: Florida AG tells NFL its diversity hiring rule violates state law
The NFL's rule, named after longtime Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, has expanded over the years to include a larger number of positions and to include women as part of the minority candidate definition.
Teams must interview in person at least two minority candidates for a head coaching or general manager position, and one minority candidate for quarterback coach. Also, at least one minority or female candidate must be interviewed for senior level positions, such as club president and senior executives.
Rooney, who died in 2017, led a committee to address the historically low number of minorities in coaching and front office positions among the league’s 32 teams. At the start of the 2026 season there were three Black, one Mexican American, and one Lebanese American head coaches of NFL teams.
And according to the NFL, there are three women and five Black people among team presidents, and nine minority general managers, including eight Black men among the 32 clubs.
Uthmeier had told Goodell in a March letter that the NFL's diversity mandate could block a franchise from hiring someone they consider highly qualified because “the candidate happens to belong to a particular race.” Long-standing Florida law, he added, bans the consideration of an “individual’s race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, handicap, or marital status” for employment or promotion within an organization.
In Orlando, Goodell also was asked about the NFL's Front Office and Coaching Accelerator Program, an extension of the Rooney Rule, and its latest class being split equally between minorities and White people.
"There are a lot of candidates up there that are diverse, that are getting the opportunity to improve themselves and to get exposure," he said. "The people up there are the best of the best ... and what we're trying to do is to make them even better and to give them opportunities."
Uthmeier, on the other hand, previously said, "NFL fans in Florida don’t care what color their coach’s skin is. They care what colors their coach is wearing – and that those colors are winning on the football field."
This story contains previous reporting by James Call. Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida Capital Bureau. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X.com: @JimRosicaFL.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Goodell defends NFL diversity rule against Florida challenge
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But Goodell, speaking to reporters in Orlando May 19 at the Spring League meetings, also said the league has "engaging" with Uthmeier's office, and will "continue to share everything we're doing with them."
Uthmeier has said the National Football League's "Rooney Rule," a two-decade-old diversity initiative that requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and front office positions, runs afoul of the Florida Civil Rights Act and federal anti-discrimination law.
And Florida's Republican leadership, led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, has opposed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, or DEI.
"I think we have been very clear about our programs and that we obviously evaluate them all the time, not just for how they get better, but also to make sure that they're consistent with law," Goodell said in Orlando.
"We're engaging with the Florida attorney general," he added. "We think it's certainly within the law, but also something very positive."
Previous coverage: Florida AG tells NFL its diversity hiring rule violates state law
The NFL's rule, named after longtime Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, has expanded over the years to include a larger number of positions and to include women as part of the minority candidate definition.
Teams must interview in person at least two minority candidates for a head coaching or general manager position, and one minority candidate for quarterback coach. Also, at least one minority or female candidate must be interviewed for senior level positions, such as club president and senior executives.
Rooney, who died in 2017, led a committee to address the historically low number of minorities in coaching and front office positions among the league’s 32 teams. At the start of the 2026 season there were three Black, one Mexican American, and one Lebanese American head coaches of NFL teams.
And according to the NFL, there are three women and five Black people among team presidents, and nine minority general managers, including eight Black men among the 32 clubs.
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Uthmeier had told Goodell in a March letter that the NFL's diversity mandate could block a franchise from hiring someone they consider highly qualified because “the candidate happens to belong to a particular race.” Long-standing Florida law, he added, bans the consideration of an “individual’s race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, handicap, or marital status” for employment or promotion within an organization.
In Orlando, Goodell also was asked about the NFL's Front Office and Coaching Accelerator Program, an extension of the Rooney Rule, and its latest class being split equally between minorities and White people.
"There are a lot of candidates up there that are diverse, that are getting the opportunity to improve themselves and to get exposure," he said. "The people up there are the best of the best ... and what we're trying to do is to make them even better and to give them opportunities."
Uthmeier, on the other hand, previously said, "NFL fans in Florida don’t care what color their coach’s skin is. They care what colors their coach is wearing – and that those colors are winning on the football field."
This story contains previous reporting by James Call. Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida Capital Bureau. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X.com: @JimRosicaFL.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Goodell defends NFL diversity rule against Florida challenge
Continue reading...
