Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has served the NFL with an investigative subpoena, escalating a dispute that began with his March warning letter over the league’s hiring policy. In a fresh letter to Commissioner Roger Goodell, Uthmeier cited recent changes to the league’s website that softened language around the Rooney Rule. He argues the revisions raise fresh questions about the rule’s intent.

Previously the NFL described the Rooney Rule as a tool to “increase the number of minorities hired” and claimed diversity “enriches the game.” The updated copy replaces that phrasing with “expands the pool of candidates considered” and stresses that candidates are “qualified” and come from “a wide range of backgrounds.” The shift removes explicit references to minority hiring, the very point Uthmeier challenged.

Uthmeier’s subpoena widens to cover the NFL’s broader diversity, equity and inclusion program, including a discontinued mandate for teams to hire a minority offensive assistant and the league’s “diversity accelerator” initiative. He also targets the 2020 resolution that granted a third‑round compensatory pick for two years when a minority coach or executive was hired away. The attorney general says the league’s website edits betray earlier claims and could violate Florida’s deceptive trade practices statutes.