Florida AG: Scrap Rooney Rule, Hire Based on Merit

0:00On March 28th, Florida's Attorney General, James Uthmeyer, just fired off a letter to NFL Commissioner, Roger Gidell, demanding the league scrap, THE. RUNY RULE. He calls it straight up race and sex discrimination, under state law, saying higher should be pure merit, not quotas. This drops weeks before the 2026 draft in Pittsburgh, from April 23 to 25th. The RUNY RULE kicked off back in 2003, to boost diversity, forcing teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for, head coach, GM, and coordinator spots. Uthmeyer sent copies to owners of Florida's three NFL teams too, hinting at bigger state level heat on league practices. Fans and folks in Florida, he says, only care if their coach wins games, not skin color. Recent hiring cycles back, that frustration out of ten head coach openings last time, just one went to a minority candidate, and zero to black coaches. NFL execs confirmed they got the letter and are reviewing it closely.

1:02They stand by the rule as legal and key to fairness in strong teams. Steelers owner Art Rooney II, who runs the Diversity Committee, admits the legal scene shifting, and they got to stay compliant. League brass like Gidele have already flagged the rule for tweaks to amp up real diversity. With Florida pushing hard, expect more talks on how the NFL balances merit, law, and inclusion moving forward. NFL news today, powered by AI bringing you what matters on game day.