NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell didn’t blink Tuesday as he drew a hard line against Florida’s threat to sue the league over its Rooney Rule diversity hiring policy, telling reporters at the league’s annual meeting in Phoenix that the NFL’s values “don’t change” — and neither does its commitment to the two-decade-old rule.
“One thing that doesn’t change is for our values, and we believe that diversity has been a benefit to the National Football League,” Goodell told reporters flatly, according to Politico.
His defiant stance puts the league on a collision course with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who last week gave the NFL until May to confirm it would stop requiring teams to interview minority candidates for head coach, coordinator and general manager openings, or face “civil rights enforcement action.”
The NFL believes the rule aligns with Florida law, Goodell insisted, and works as a tool to ensure teams find the best talent.
Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II, son of the rule’s namesake, backed Goodell, telling reporters he doesn’t anticipate “any dramatic changes.”
Uthmeier’s office hasn’t responded to Goodell’s statement.
The showdown is the latest front in Florida’s sweeping war on diversity, equity and inclusion policies, which has already swept through the state’s public schools, colleges and local governments.
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