Flores alleges he was only interviewed by the Giants and Broncos in order to comply with the Rooney Rule, while stating he was 'ostracised' by the Dolphins after refusing to recruit a 'prominent quarterback in violation of League tampering rules'. All three teams released statements.
Wednesday 2 February 2022 18:52, UK
Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores has filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL, the New York Giants, Miami Dolphins and the Denver Broncos alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices.
The suit, filed on the first day of Black History Month in America, begins with an errant text message from New England coach Bill Belichick congratulating Flores on getting the Giants job.
However, Flores subsequently asked Belichick whether he had meant him or former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Brian Daboll, at which point Belichick realised his error and informed Flores the Giants were hiring Daboll.
In addition to the NFL and Giants, the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos are named as defendants along with John Doe Teams 1-29.
In the suit, the firms show screen grabs from Flores' phone showing text messages between him and Belichick.
"I hear from Buffalo & NYG that you are their guy," Belichick purportedly texted Flores.
"Sorry - I f***** this up," Belichick texts Flores. "I double checked & I misread the text. I think they are naming Daboll. I'm sorry about that."
"Mr. Flores was forced to sit through a dinner with Joe Schoen, the Giants' new General Manager, knowing that the Giants had already selected Mr. Daboll," the lawsuit says. "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 Giants published a response in which they stated Flores was in contention for the job until the 'eleventh hour'.
"We are pleased and confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Daboll," the Giants said. "We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates. The fact of the matter is, Brian 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 is considered a finalist for the Houston Texans opening and also reportedly interviewed with the New Orleans Saints.
"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 a release put out by the law firm representing him in the case. "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. 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 Broncos are specifically named in the suit for their "sham interview" with Flores in 2019.
"It was clear from the substance of the interview that Mr. Flores was interviewed only because of the Rooney Rule, and that the Broncos never had any intention to consider him as a legitimate candidate for the job," the suit reads.
Denver have since also released a statement, which reads: "The allegations from Brian Flores directed toward the Denver Broncos in today's court filing are blatantly false.
"Our interview with Mr. Flores regarding our head coaching position began at the scheduled time of 7:30am on Jan. 5, 2019, in a Providence, R.I., hotel. There were five Broncos executives present for the interview, which lasted approximately three-and-a-half hours - the fully allotted time - and concluded shortly before 11am.
"Pages of detailed notes, analysis and evaluations from our interview demonstrate the depth of our conversation and sincere interest in Mr. Flores as a head coaching candidate.
"Our process was thorough and fair to determine the most qualified candidate for our head coaching position. The Broncos will vigorously defend the integrity and values of our organisation - and its employees - from such baseless and disparaging claims."
Allegations were also made against Ross and the Dolphins.
"After the end of the 2019 season, Mr. Ross began to pressure Mr. Flores to recruit a prominent quarterback in violation of League tampering rules. Mr. Flores repeatedly refused to comply with these improper directives," the suit reads.
Ross then set up a meeting on his yacht between Flores and the unnamed QB, but Flores left.
"After the incident, Mr. Flores was treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with," the suit reads.
"From that point forward, Mr. Flores was ostracised and ultimately he was fired.
"He was subsequently defamed throughout the media and the League as he was labeled by the Dolphins brass as someone who was difficult to work with. This is reflective of an all too familiar 'angry black man' stigma that is often casted upon Black men who are strong in their morals and convictions while white men are coined as passionate for those very same attributes."
In response, the Dolphins stated: "We are aware of the lawsuit through the media reports that came out this afternoon. We vehemently deny any allegations of racial discrimination and are proud of the diversity and inclusion throughout our organisation. The implication that we acted in a manner inconsistent with the integrity of the game is incorrect. We will be withholding further comment on the lawsuit at this time."
The NFL insisted it will defend itself against the allegations, which the league deemed to be '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 organisations," the league said in a statement. "Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit."
