Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is suing the NFL, the New York Giants, the Dolphins, and the Denver Broncos for racial discrimination. Flores was sacked this summer and has been interviewing for numerous open positions.
According to the lawsuit, the NFL is still plagued with prejudice, and the league is racially divided and controlled like a plantation in some key aspects. It points out that none of the NFL’s 32 owners are African-American, and yet they profit from the labor of players who make up 70% of the league. Flores stated that he has decided to stand up for himself and that he hopes others would follow suit.
The class action lawsuit begins with a text from New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who texted Flores three days before he formally interviewed for the Giants head coaching job, thinking he had gotten the job. Belichick apologized, stating he misread the communication and that he had heard Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was being hired by New York.
Texts from Bill Belichick to Brian Flores, congratulating Brian for landing the #Giants job.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 1, 2022
Belichick thought he was texting Brian Daboll. He was texting Flores by mistake. pic.twitter.com/Y686XcjYC3
Flores then had to sit through a phony interview with new general manager Joe Schoen, according to the lawsuit, which Flores’ representatives claim was only done to comply with the Rooney Rule, which compels teams to interview minority applicants for head coaching and senior operations positions. On January 28, Daboll was hired as the Giants’ head coach.
The documents also accuse the Houston Texans of treating former head coach David Culley unfairly, discuss the double-standard in firing former Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks, and point out that Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is unable to find a head coaching position.
The NFL has had problems with the Rooney Rule from its creation in 2003, according to Flores’ lawsuit. Teams must interview minority candidates for head coaching and top operations roles, according to the rule. The lawsuit cited multiple examples of teams failing to follow the Rooney Rule to the letter.
