The National Football League is cooperating with an investigation by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier into whether the league violated its "Rooney Rule" regarding head coach hirings, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced during recent owners meetings.

The Rooney Rule, established in 2003 and updated several times since, requires NFL teams to interview diverse candidates for head coaching and senior football operations positions. The rule was named after former Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney and was designed to increase diversity in the league's coaching and executive ranks.

Goodell stated that the league has been transparent about its diversity programs and regularly evaluates them for effectiveness and compliance. The commissioner indicated the NFL is fully cooperating with the Republican attorney general's investigation.

The investigation comes as the NFL continues to face scrutiny over the diversity of its coaching staff. Despite the Rooney Rule's implementation, critics have argued that the league has made insufficient progress in hiring minority coaches for head coaching positions.

Details about the specific nature of the violations being investigated or which teams may be involved were not disclosed. The Florida Attorney General's office has not released additional information about the scope or timeline of the investigation.