The NFL’s Rooney Rule, which has been in place for over 20 years, requires NFL teams to interview ethnic-minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operations jobs. However, not everyone feels that it’s been adequate in its objective of increasing diversity at every level of league operations.
“The system is broken from the inside out and outside and any effort to affect it that didn’t obligate NFL Owners to adherence or reform was doomed from the start,” former NFL Players Association chief DeMaurice Smith told Yahoo Sports in 2023.
The Rooney Rule has resulted in what many people believe are “sham” interviews, in which minorities are interviewed even though they’re not actually under consideration to be hired.
Still, on the other end of the spectrum, some feel that the rule unnecessarily pushes DEI forward and needs to be removed altogether, such as Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
“Professional sports are a visible example of a merit-based system, but through the Rooney Rule, the NFL requires its teams to use race-based hiring practices
“The Rooney Rule violates Florida law, and it must stop,” Uthmeier posted on Twitter alongside a video explaining his rationale.
Professional sports are a visible example of a merit-based system, but through the Rooney Rule, the NFL requires its teams to use race-based hiring practices.
We are putting Commissioner Roger Goodell on notice: the Rooney Rule violates Florida law, and it must stop. pic.twitter.com/g8La6TzUZw
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) March 25, 2026
It’s an interesting time for Uthmeier to take this stance, with Robert Saleh, who is of Lebanese descent, being the only minority to fill one of the coaching carousel’s 10 vacancies this offseason.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.