Roger Goodell Says the NFL Is Cooperating With the Florida AG After Receiving Subpoena
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league is cooperating with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier after being issued a subpoena last week
www.usnews.comHere’s the latest on the Florida attorney general subpoena related to the NFL.
Summary
- The Florida Attorney General issued an investigative subpoena to the NFL in mid-May 2026, asking for documents related to the Rooney Rule, DEI programs, and other employment practices, with a June 12 appearance deadline in Tallahassee. Multiple outlets reported that the AG is examining potential civil rights concerns and whether the league’s hiring practices complied with state law. [source coverage from ESPN/AP and other outlets]
Key developments
- Subpoena scope: The AG’s office requested documents such as diversity reports, coaching census data, and demographic surveys reflecting race and sex of coaching staffs from 2017 to present. This indicates a broad civil-rights/DEI-review angle rather than a narrow rule-enforcement action.[1][7]
- NFL response: Commissioner Roger Goodell stated the league is cooperating with the Florida AG, emphasizing a willingness to provide information and engage with the review. This cooperation aligns with the AG’s stated objective of assessing compliance with civil rights protections in hiring practices.[8][1]
- Timelines: The subpoena set a June 12 appointment date in Tallahassee for the NFL to appear and to produce the requested documents. The league was initially given a May 1 deadline for a response, and the subsequent subpoena extends the formal process into June.[7][1]
Context and implications
- Rooney Rule and DEI scrutiny: The probe centers on the Rooney Rule and related DEI initiatives, signaling Florida’s interest in how NFL teams recruit and promote diverse candidates, not just the rule itself. Past reporting confirms the AG’s broader civil-rights inquiry into league employment practices.[4][1]
- National response: Coverage from multiple outlets suggests this is a high-profile state-level civil-rights inquiry with potential implications for how leagues document and report diversity metrics. The NFL’s ongoing cooperation is typical in such investigations while preserving league operations.[6][8]
Would you like:
- A concise timeline with exact dates and key document requests from the subpoenas?
- Links to the primary articles for reading, or a quick summary of each outlet’s angle?
- A brief explainer of the Rooney Rule and how civil-rights investigations typically proceed in such cases?