Rooney Rule explained: Why does Florida AG want NFL to scrap it?

Florida is gearing up for a challenge to scrap NFL’s longstanding Rooney Rule, which was made to increase the number of minority coaches and top executives in the league.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier calls on NFL officials through a letter on Wednesday, March 25, that the Rooney Rule and other similar hiring are “illegal” under Florida’s civil rights laws.

In a letter addressed to league commissioner Roger Goodell, Uthmeier wrote, “As a Floridian, I wish the Miami Dolphins well with their new head football coach. As Florida’s chief legal officer, however, I write with a word of caution to the NFL on its race-and-sex-based hiring policies.”

Uthmeier pressed the NFL to confirm by May 1 it would no longer enforce its policies requiring teams to interview minority candidates, including women, or else the state could take “civil rights enforcement action.”

“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.

The Rooney Rule and its offshoots are illegal in Florida,” Florida AG Uthmeier concluded.

What is NFL’s Rooney Rule?

The Rooney Rule was adopted in 2003 to ensure diversity in leadership among NFL clubs in an effort to promote promising candidates having equal chances to prove they can lead based on their skills and qualifications.

For this purpose, NFL set up a committee named the "Workplace Diversity Committee" and later renamed it as the "Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee."

So, it was named after the then-chairman of the committee, Dan Rooney, who was the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Rooney Rule was formulated in 2003 that requires NFL clubs to interview two external minority candidates for vacant head coach, 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 onboarded.

Out of 10 openings, only one minority candidate landed a top coaching role.

On the other hand, NFL has confirmed receiving the letter and that the league is reviewing its contents, as reported by ESPN.

“We believe our policies are consistent with the law and reflect our commitment to fairness, opportunity, and building the strongest possible teams,” said NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller.