Fritz Pollard Alliance defends Rooney Rule against attack by Florida

Florida is taking aim at the Rooney Rule, calling it discriminatory. The Fritz Pollard Alliance, in a statement issued to PFT, has defended the provision.

“The Rooney Rule doesn’t limit opportunity; it expands it,” Fritz Pollard Alliance interim executive director Michele C. Meyer-Shipp said. “It doesn’t cap who a club can consider or dictate who gets hired and it’s not a hiring rule. What it does is increase fair competition and ensure a true merit-based process by opening the door beyond the traditional ‘tap on the shoulder’ system, so the best candidates from all backgrounds are actually seen, evaluated, and can compete.”

The Fritz Pollard Alliance, as explained on the group’s website, works “to ensure that hiring, advancement, and decision-making processes for career opportunities both on and off the field are open, fair, and inclusive, so that the leadership of the game reflects the excellence, talent, and diversity of the sport itself.”

The NFL has not responded to an inquiry from PFT regarding the Wednesday afternoon comments from Florida attorney general James Uthmeier, who has demanded that the NFL suspend the Rooney Rule or face possible enforcement action.

The Rooney Rule is named for late Steelers owner Dan Rooney; the Steelers had no comment on Wednesday evening regarding Uthmeier’s demand that the Rooney Rule be suspended.