Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores claims different NFL teams offered him sham interviews to comply with the league’s diversity rules.
Brian Flores, former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, has filed a lawsuit against the NFL, New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and Miami Dolphins, alleging racial discrimination.
According to CNN, Flores, who is Black, claimed that the Giants interviewed him for a head coaching job under “disingenuous” circumstances. In his lawsuit, Flores said he found out three days before his scheduled interview that the Giants had already decided to hire Brian Daboll.
Flores said the Giants never told him they had filled the position, and that he only found out after receiving a congratulatory text messages New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick had sent in error.
Flores’ complaint alleges that the Giants’ interview offer was a ruse, intended to circumvent the NFL’s so-called Rooney Rule.
CNN notes that the Rooney Rule, implemented in 2003, is supposed to increase diversity across the NFL’s managerial and executive ranks. The Rooney Rule requires that every team interview at least two external minority candidates for vacant head coaching positions.
However, the Rooney Rule has done little to dissuade allegations of racial discrimination: while an estimated 70% of NFL players are Black, only out of every 27 head coaches is Black.
In his lawsuit, Flores says this is not the first time he has been given a suspicious offer. In 2019, for instance, Flores was supposed to interview with the Denver Broncos. However, the team’s top management “showed up an hour late to the interview,” looking visibly “disheveled, and it was obvious that they [been] drinking heavily the night before.”
Flores also levied some accusations against his own organization, the Miami Dolphins. According to Flores’ complaint, Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross offered to pay the coach money to purposely lose games to secure higher picks in the NFL draft.
When Flores refused, Ross purportedly encouraged other league officials to treat Flores with “disdain […] held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with.”
Flores’ lawsuit, notes CNN, is being filed as a prospective class action.
“In making the decision to file the class action complaint today, I understand that I may be risking coaching the game that I love and that has done so much for my family and me,” Flores said in his lawsuit. “My sincere hope is that by standing up against systemic racism in the NFL, others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come.”
Sources
Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores sues NFL and 3 NFL teams alleging racial discrimination
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