NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has issued a clear mandate about the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minorities for vacant coaching and executive positions. Recently, this provision of the league has received criticism from a Florida attorney, James Uthmeier, who believes the rule violates his state’s law and sent a letter arguing his case to Goodell and Co. But despite these concerns, the NFL commissioner has maintained a strong position on the rule.
“No. No, the Rooney Rule has been around a long time. We’ve evolved it, changed it. We’ll continue to do that as circumstances warrant,” Goodell said before addressing Uthmeier’s comment. “We are well aware of the laws and where the laws are changing or evolving. We think the Rooney Rule is consistent with those, and we certainly will engage with the Florida AG, or anybody else, as we have in the past, to talk about our policies and what they are.”
The Rooney Rule was adopted in 2003 and requires NFL teams to interview two external minority candidates for vacant head coach, general manager, and coordinator positions. Since the inception of this rule, there has been a surge of minority head coaches across the league, with the year 2006 deemed a major success for the provision, as the Tony Dungy-coached Indianapolis Colts defeated Lovie Smith’s Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl.
This offseason, the Tennessee Titans hired Robert Saleh, who is of Lebanese descent, as their head coach. However, Saleh was the only minority candidate to land a top coaching job, among those hired for the 10 openings. Ahead of the Super Bowl, Goodell revealed the league would reevaluate the Rooney Rule and “continue to make progress” on diversity.
Then, in late March 2026, James Uthmeier sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expressing that the Rooney Rule is “blatant race and sex discrimination” and that hiring decisions should be based on merit only.
Roger Goodell said the Rooney Rule isn’t going anywhere:
“No. It’s been around a long time. We’ve evolved and changed it, and we’ll continue to do so.” https://t.co/3GpLJwcZt3
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) March 31, 2026
“NFL fans in Florida don’t care what color their coach’s skin is,” Uthmeier further added in his letter. “They care what colors their coach is wearing — and that those colors are winning on the football field.
While the discussions continue, a few people have more at stake in this debate than Art Rooney II. The Pittsburgh Steelers owner chairs the NFL’s diversity, equity, and inclusion committee. But more importantly, his father, Dan, is the rule’s namesake. Hence, when asked about his take on the debate, Rooney issued a measured stance.
Steelers owner reacts to the Rooney Rule debate
As the chairperson of the NFL’s diversity, equity, and inclusion committee, Art Rooney II issued his take on the recent debate involving the Rooney Rule, which was named after the Steelers owner’s father. While speaking after the annual league meetings in Phoenix, Arizona, Art Rooney revealed that the owners aren’t moving away from the rule.
“There were some questions about it,” Rooney said. “There was no action taken, just a statement from the Florida attorney general, so we’ll have some conversations with the attorney general down there just to make sure he understands what exactly we do. It’s not a hiring rule, so I think we’re comfortable with where we are. I think everybody’s still in favor of the Rooney Rule. There was no discussion about getting rid of it.”
With the league showing no desire to alter the Rooney Rule, this provision is expected to be a crucial part of the NFL’s future, especially now when the league is more diverse and global than ever.
