Brian Flores filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL and all 32 teams alleging discrimination against black head coaches and executives.
The suit, filed in the Southern District of New York, claims the Giants interviewed Flores for their head coaching position, despite having already chosen Brian Daboll for the job.
Flores maintains his interview was a “sham” in order to comply with the NFL’s “Rooney Rule,” which compels teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and GM jobs.
“Mr. Flores was forced to sit through a dinner with Joe Schoen, the Giant’s new General Manager, knowing that the Giants had already selected Mr. Daboll,” the suit reads. “Much worse, on Thursday, January 27, 2022, Mr. Flores had to give an extensive interview for a job that he already knew he would not get—an interview that was held for no reason other than for the Giants to demonstrate falsely to the League Commissioner Roger Goodell and the public at large that it was in compliance with the Rooney Rule.”
The suit cites a text message from Bill Belichick — whom Flores previously worked for as defensive coordinator in New England — which purportedly shows the Patriots coach congratulating Flores for getting the Giants job, even though he had yet to interview. Belichick seemingly corrected himself the following day.
“Sorry – I f–ked this up,” the alleged text from Belichick reads. “I double checked & I misread the text. I think they are naming Daboll. I’m sorry about that.”
The Giants denied Flores’ allegations, as did the Broncos.
“We are pleased and confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Daboll,” the Giants said in a statement. “We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates. The fact of the matter is, Brain Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach.”
Flores was considered a strong candidate for the Giants head coaching job — which ultimately went to Daboll — and has had interviews with the Chicago Bears (who hired Matt Eberflus) and Houston Texans (who have not yet named a new head coach).
The 40-year-old Brooklyn native was surprisingly fired as head coach of the Dolphins this offseason. The team won eight of its last nine games this past season, including a seven-game win streak, but missed the playoffs.
With David Culley also relieved of his duties by the Texans, the only current black head coach in the NFL is Mike Tomlin. The Texans, Jaguars, Dolphins and Vikings have not yet named new head coaches.
“The NFL remains rife with racism, particularly when it comes to the hiring and retention of Black Head Coaches, Coordinators and General Managers,” the suit says. “Over the years, the NFL and its 32-member organizations (the “Teams”) have been given every chance to do the right thing. Rules have been implemented, promises made—but nothing has changed. In fact, the racial discrimination has only been made worse by the NFL’s disingenuous commitment to social equity.”
The league, in a statement, says it will fight Flores’ claims, which are “without merit.”
“The NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations,” the NFL said. “Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time.”
Flores, in a statement of his own on Tuesday, said he knows the suit could cost him his future as an NFL coach.
“God has gifted me with a special talent to coach the game of football, but the need for change is bigger than my personal goals,” Flores said . “In making the decision to file the class action complaint, I understand that I may be risking coaching the game I love, and has done so much for my family and me. 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.”
The suit also alleges the Dolphins encouraged him to tank in 2019 for a better draft pick with monetary bonuses for losing.
“[T]he writing had been on the wall since Mr. Flores’ first season as Head Coach of the Dolphins, when he refused his owner’s directive to ‘tank’ for the first pick in the draft,” the suit says. “Indeed, during the 2019 season, Miami’s owner, Stephen Ross, told Mr. Flores that he would pay him $100,000 for every loss, and the team’s General Manager, Chris Grier, told Mr. Flores that “Steve” was ‘mad’ that Mr. Flores’ success in winning games that year was ‘compromising [the team’s] draft position.’”
Ross is also accused in the suit of trying to get Flores to meet and “tamper” with an unnamed “prominent” quarterback on a yacht in the winter of 2020. Flores declined to participate in the “impromptu” meeting.