Florida Attorney General Subpoenas NFL Over Rooney Rule Civil-Rights Probe
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier subpoenaed the NFL on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, ordering the league to appear in Tallahassee on June 12 in a civil-rights probe of the Rooney Rule.[1]
Uthmeier sent the subpoena and an accompanying letter to NFL executive vice president and attorney Ted Ullyot.[1] The subpoena requests all diversity reports, coaching-census data and demographic surveys showing the race and sex of team coaching staffs from 2017 to the present, plus other records about the Rooney Rule and related initiatives.[1] Uthmeier's letter says the Rooney Rule and the NFL's inclusive hiring policies "continue to raise significant concerns under Florida law," and it notes the league revised its public description of the rule after his earlier warning.[1]
In March 2026, Commissioner Roger Goodell told league meetings he did not see legal problems with the Rooney Rule while acknowledging a changing political environment around diversity initiatives.[1] The NFL has also told Uthmeier in recent correspondence that the Rooney Rule does not impose quotas, does not allow clubs to consider race or sex in hiring decisions, and that hiring is based on merit by individual teams rather than by the league.[1] OutKick also reported the subpoena and the new probe Wednesday.[2]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a subpoena and letter to NFL executive vice president and attorney Ted Ullyot commanding the league to appear in Tallahassee on June 12, 2026.
- The subpoena requests all diversity reports, coaching-census data and demographic surveys showing the race and sex of team coaching staffs from 2017 to the present, plus other records related to the Rooney Rule and related initiatives.
- Uthmeier’s letter says the Rooney Rule and the NFL’s inclusive hiring policies “continue to raise significant concerns under Florida law” and notes the league revised its public description of the rule after his earlier warning.
- The article reproduces recent NFL correspondence to Uthmeier asserting the Rooney Rule does not impose quotas, does not allow clubs to consider race or sex in hiring decisions, and that hiring is based on merit by individual teams rather than by the league.
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is quoted from March 2026 league meetings acknowledging a changing political environment around diversity initiatives but saying he does not see legal problems with the Rooney Rule.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
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- On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a subpoena and letter to NFL executive vice president and attorney Ted Ullyot commanding the league to appear in Tallahassee on June 12, 2026.
- The subpoena seeks all diversity reports, coaching census data, and demographic surveys reflecting the race and sex of team coaching staffs from 2017 to the present, as well as other records about the Rooney Rule and related initiatives.
- Uthmeier’s letter says the Rooney Rule and the NFL’s related inclusive hiring policies 'continue to raise significant concerns under Florida law' and notes the league revised its public description of the rule after his earlier warning.
- The article reproduces recent NFL correspondence to Uthmeier stating that the Rooney Rule does not impose quotas, does not allow clubs to consider race or sex in hiring decisions, and that hiring is based on merit by individual teams, not the league.
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is quoted from March 2026 league meetings acknowledging a changing political environment around diversity initiatives but saying he does not see legal problems with the Rooney Rule.