CC’d to team owners and executives including Stephen Ross, Bryan Glazer, and Shad Khan, alongside federal and state civil rights officials.

The correspondence was sent to the league and team leadership as well as civil rights authorities in both state and federal levels.

Historically, the NFL approved incentives in 2020 for teams that develop minority talent who later reach GM or head coach roles elsewhere.

Uthmeier asserts that teams and fans care about winning and merit, not the race of the coaching staff.

The dispute unfolds amid broader national debates over DEI programs in the NFL and related enforcement pressures from federal perspectives.

The letter is copied to Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Jacksonville Jaguars owners, plus the Florida Commission on Human Relations, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the EEOC.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier argues the NFL’s Rooney Rule violates the Florida Civil Rights Act by mandating race-based interviews in hiring, framing it as a merit-based system essential to fan and team success.

The NFL describes the Rooney Rule as a diversity initiative started in 2003 and expanded in 2022 to include women, while Uthmeier seeks suspension of the rule and threatens enforcement action for race-based discrimination.

Uthmeier says his office will send a formal letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ahead of the league’s annual meeting, setting a May 1 deadline to confirm non-enforcement of the rule in Florida.

NFL officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the dispute.

Fox News Digital reports the AG’s letter, which is copied to multiple parties, includes a May 1 deadline for the NFL’s response.

The full letter is referenced, with related legal actions noted but not elaborated in this summary.