Brian Flores adds three more teams to racism lawsuit
Brian Flores is going after the NFL for having racist practices that he alleges have prevented him and other black head coaches from being seriously considered for prominent HC jobs.
His list of teams included in the class action lawsuit against the league just expanded from three teams (Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Denver Broncos) to six. He added the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans.
Former Cardinals’ HC Steve Wilks and former DC Ray Horton were specifically named to Brian Flores’ race discrimination class action lawsuit against the NFL and various teams, per Adam Schefter.
Aaron Wilson of the Pro Football Network included a snapshot of the legal documents:
Brian Flores' amended class action lawsuit added Texans, Cardinals, Titans to the complaint, in addition to NFL, Dolphins, Giants, Broncos https://t.co/E0TKBZU1hu
Where does Brian Flores suing the NFL, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, and Denver Broncos lead?
For years, the league has come under fire for hiring processes that intentionally hindered minority head coaches from ever landing the most lucrative positions available.
While this ordeal won't help Flores personally benefit in all likelihood, this could shine a light on other issues in the sport as well. One prominent topic is Colin Kaepernick's attempted comeback and recent Michigan Wolverines spring game showcase for NFL scouts.
Ultimately, the former Miami Dolphins head coach could go down as a martyr that advanced equality within the NFL's heirarchy, a potentially greater legacy than what might be left on the sidelines.
How and when did the Brian Flores class action lawsuit begin?
Cruel and unusual employer-employee relations between Brian Flores and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross during the former's time with the organization was the genesis of the lawsuit.
In the 58-page lawsuit, Ross was described as having deceived Flores and, later, lashing out at the head coach for not obeying his demands:
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. Undeterred, in the winter of 2020, Mr. Ross invited Mr. Flores onto a yacht for lunch. Shortly after he arrived, Mr. Ross told Mr. Flores that the prominent quarterback was “conveniently” arriving at the marina. Obviously, Mr. Ross had attempted to “set up” a purportedly impromptu meeting between Mr. Flores and the prominent quarterback. Mr. Flores refused the meeting and left the yacht immediately. After the incident, Mr. Flores was treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with."
Bill Belichick also helped break this whole thing open by potentially outing the New York Giants' head coach hiring process by mistake.
As the story goes, Belichick texted "congratulations" to Brian Flores, and not Brian Daboll, the intended recipient of the text and the definite recipient of the Giants HC job. Daboll was deemed "NY's guy" by the Giants and Buffalo Bills, according to the Patriots HC. Flores found this out just a day after interviewing. He believes that he was merely chosen to interview to satisfy the NFL's Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority coaching candidates for openings.
Ultimately, this will be a bad look for the league moving forward. In all likelihood, the evidence mounted will lead to penalties for several franchises, and the league will have to navigate yet another scandal in the Roger Goodell era.