"Only Pittsburgh could make a hire like this" - NFL fans laud Steelers for hiring of Brian Flores
Brian Flores worried, given the league's treatment of Colin Kaepernick, that when he filed a lawsuit against the NFL for alleged persistent discrimination in coaching hires for black coaches, he would be blackballed out of the league.
But he forgot that an organization like the Pittsburgh Steelers existed in the league; a franchise that employed the only black head coach at the conclusion of last season and after whose former owner, the Rooney Rule, is named.
We have named Brian Flores as our senior defensive assistant/linebackers.
He was not hired as the head coach, of course, given Mike Tomlin's continued excellence there, but he found pride of place as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach.
And it was enough to send Twitter into a frenzy, from where we have collected some of the best bits.
Pittsburgh Steelers' hiring of Brian Flores widely appreciated
Fans pointed out the standing of the Pittsburgh Steelers' ownership in the wider NFL. They were perhaps the only franchise who could take a risk on the former head coach at the moment.
🏻@AroundTheNFL I think only Pittsburgh could make a hire like this. Maybe the #Giants or New England, but you’ve got to have genuine unquestionable standing amongst the owners for this move.
As for the football, the #Steelers get a good defensive mind in the room.
@steelers, good on you. 👍🏻 https://t.co/2F6dWFRwsi
Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III also pointed out that it was appropriate. Citing that the team that gave the league the Rooney Rule was the one to finally take a chance on Flores.
If there was going to be one team to hire Brian Flores it would be the team that helped implement the Rooney Rule.
Good on you Pittsburgh Steelers.
There were still others who were quick to praise Pittsburgh and point out that he would be a valuable addition. This is while simultaneously making the case that Brian Flores is underemployed at this point.
Brian Flores could’ve/should’ve been a Head Coach for a team.
Instead, Flores is the defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Steelers.
A great hire for Pittsburgh.
Others also pointed out the role Mike Tomlin had in this. He is the last black head coach remaining in the league, and he has also been striving to diversify the coaching ranks.
Mike Tomlin has been an advocate for minority coaches, serving as a board member for the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches. He now brings Brian Flores onto his staff amid a class-action lawsuit accusing the NFL of racial discrimination. miamiherald.com/sports/nfl/mia…
Fans could not help but also wonder the kind of draw it would create for players to go and play under two top level coaches in Pittsburgh.
What kind of player wouldn’t want to be coached by Mike Tomlin and Brian Flores? Pittsburgh just turned into a huge FA landing spot
Amidst all the feel-good factors generated by this hire, one should not forget that this is an aberration and not the norm.
Hence, it was quickly pointed out that his hire did not mean an end to Brian Flores' efforts to enact further change in the NFL.
Brian Flores’ attorneys, @WigdorLaw say that “he will continue with his race discrimination class action so that real change can be made in the NFL,” even though he’s been hired as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Still, many wanted to congratulate the Pittsburgh Steelers for always bucking the existing trend and showing their class in matters of diversity as a franchise.
#Steelers have set the bar on minority coaching hires. Mike Tomlin and now Brian Flores as an assistant.
Kudos Pittsburgh! #HereWeGo ✔️
Many even said that this would be a stepping stone for Brian Flores' return to the NFL as a head coach sooner or later, given his talent.
No one should be worried about that. Honestly, who knows how long Flores will be in Pittsburgh. He's going to be a DC/HC again. This could be a one-year thing. twitter.com/youngdobie/sta…
That such a conversation can even be had after many expected Brian Flores to be banished from the NFL is a testament to the initiative taken in this regard by the Pittsburgh Steelers. This decision may reverberate way beyond the football field.