Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, center, applauds linebackers Kyle Van Noy (53) Jerome Baker (55) and Kamu Grugier-Hill (51) for their work in forcing a fumble against the Jacksonville Jaguars during a contest Sept. 24, 2020, at TIAA Bank Field. The Dolphins won 31-13. (Photo by Will Brown)
Published on March 26, 2026 at 11:45 am
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Attorney General James Uthmeier is calling a penalty on the National Football League, claiming its policies encouraging teams to hire nonwhite coaches violate Florida’s employment laws banning discrimination.
He wrote a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday warning that the league’s “Rooney Rule,” which requires teams to interview an African American or other ethnic minority for a head coaching position before making a hire, is discriminatory.
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“Under NFL policy, therefore, a franchise may wish to hire an experienced, highly qualified candidate, but it can’t do so for certain positions if the candidate happens to belong to a particular race. At least not immediately,” Uthmeier wrote. “These methods of directing the selection and training of certain executives, coaches, and other employees based on skin color and sex is discriminatory and violates Florida law. “
The Rooney Rule is named after the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, the uncle of former U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney. It was installed league-wide in 2003 after two Black head coaches, Tony Dungy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dennis Green of the Minnesota Vikings, were fired despite winning tenures. Dungy was an assistant under legendary Steelers coach Chuck Noll in the 1980s.
The rule has expanded since its inception, when it was applied to Black candidates for coaching jobs, to now cover all ethnic minorities and all senior football operations positions within a franchise. In 2022 it expanded further to require all teams to have at least one ethnic minority on its offensive coaching staff.
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Jaguars owner Shad Khan is the only person of color who is the majority owner of a NFL team.
Khan has repeatedly maintained the proudest moment of his NFL stewardship occurred when he locked arms with players prior to a September 2017 game in London when President Donald Trump criticized players who kneeled during the national anthem.
On the field, the Jaguars have hired six full-time head coaches since Khan purchased the team in late 2011. None have been Black. However, the team has never eschewed hiring diverse candidates as its coordinators or in its front office.
- Mike Mularkey led the Buffalo Bills to a winning record and served as an offensive coordinator for eight years before he was hired in 2012.
- Gus Bradley helped Seattle’s defense finish in the top 10 of both yards allowed and points allowed in consecutive seasons before he was hired for his first head coaching position in 2013.
- Doug Marrone was a prior NFL head coach who was promoted after Bradley was fired.
- Urban Meyer was an uber-successful college head coach who coveted by NFL teams for a decade before he was hired in 2021.
- Doug Pederson won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles before he was hired in 2022.
- Liam Coen was offered multiple head coaching positions before he accepted the Jaguars job in 2025.
Off the field, Khan has repeatedly shared statements in support of equality and providing equal opportunities.
Jacksonville Today has requested comment from the Jaguars about Uthmeier’s correspondence with the NFL.
Next week, a New York court is expected to hold a pretrial hearing between Brian Flores and the NFL. In 2022, Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL, accusing the league of discriminatory practices. Flores was fired by the Miami Dolphins following a 24-25 run between 2019 and 2021.
Flores has since accepted a job as the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings
have finished inside the Top 7 in points allowed in two of Flores’ three seasons leading its defense.
Critics of the rule have said it hasn’t achieved its stated purpose: hiring more Black coaches. In the current offseason coaching carousel, there were 10 head coach openings and none were filled by an African American. There are three current head coaches in the NFL who are Black, including Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles.
“The NFL’s use of the Rooney Rule violates Florida law by requiring race-based considerations in hiring. Florida law is clear: hiring decisions cannot be based on race,” Uthmeier said in a video released on X. “We’re demanding the NFL suspend the Rooney Rule and failure to do so may result in enforcement actions against the league for raced-based discrimination.”
Democratic state Rep. Daryl Campbell disagrees with the attorney general, pointing to a lack of diversity among NFL coaches.
“It’s very much still needed. It’s a constant fight and a constant battle to make sure individuals are represented,” Campbell said.
Campbell is a Jacksonville University graduate who played football there.
