"BLACK HISTORY MONTH! BRING HIM TO DONDA SPORTS" - Kanye West lends his support to Brian Flores amid racism lawsuit
Brian Flores has a new supporter in Kanye West as he seeks to fight discrimination in NFL coaching hires. Flores has filed a lawsuit against the NFL that has pointed out that minority coaches, specifically black coaches, are significantly underrepresented.
He has accused teams of interviewing black coaches like him only to meet the stipulations of the Rooney rule even after they have already decided on a coach.
Kanye West has now come and supported him in the singularly bombastic fashion that he is known for. He wrote the following in all CAPS on Instagram:
"ME AND MY DAD ARE ON THE PHONE AND HE BROUGHT YOU UP TO ME. SENDING YOU LOVE AND PUBLIC SUPPORT. BLACK HISTORY MONTH! BRING HIM TO DONDA SPORTS."
Kanye West and Brian Flores make bedfellows against common cause
Brian Flores lost his job with the Miami Dolphins despite leading them to consecutive winning seasons. Thereafter, when he was yet to interview for the role of the head coach at the New York Giants, he received a congratulatory message from Bill Belichick that was meant for Brian Daboll, who was eventually appointed.
This was in addition to a similar experience he had with the Denver Broncos.
Former #Dolphins HC Brian Flores the plaintiff in a class action lawsuit suing the #NFL. Included in the suit. Flores says Dolphins owner Steven Ross offered $100k for every loss in 2019 to “tank” for the #NFLDraft & set up a yacht meeting with a “prominent” qb. Here’s an excerpt https://t.co/Rw0YmPN3Mb
Kanye West lived a similar experience due to his skin color and famously met with then incumbent President Donald Trump and became one of the most prominent black individuals to wear a MAGA hat.
His then partner, Kim Kardashian, was also involved with the former president in passing a criminal justice reform package.
Because of such shared experiences, it is not a surprise to see Kanye West jumping to the defense of Brian Flores. West will also be aware that since Flores has upset the applecart, there is a chance that even if it brings systemic change, he might not reap any personal benefits.
A case in point is Colin Kaepernick, who remains blackballed despite the NFL acknowledging police brutality against black people.
As such, West has offered Brian Flores a place with Donda Sports. It is his own business venture named after his much-beloved late mother. His latest album also carries the same nomenclature.
While that might mean nothing more than just an empty gesture, West seems all in backing Flores.
kanye tagged a brian flores meme page 😭 https://t.co/Lh4N4LPwXH
While it remains to be seen if Flores will accept this support, it is quite clear that this is an issue that is not going away soon. The longer it remains in the limelight, the more there is a chance of it moving forward to a resolution.
West may prove invaluable in keeping attention on it.