Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the NFL, the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos, and the Dolphins, alleging that he faced racial discrimination in the hiring process to be a head coach.
The lawsuit says New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick mistakenly sent Flores a text message congratulating him on getting the head coach position at the Giants three days before he even interviewed for the position. Belichick later suggested that he sent the text to the wrong Brian and that Brian Daboll got the position.
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“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,” Flores said in a statement. “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 class-action lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York and seeks damages for the alleged discrimination. It also demands several changes from the NFL.
Bill Belichick accidentally texts Brian Flores–instead of Brian Daboll–to wish him well on the new job (that he didn’t get or even interview for yet).
Flores is suing the NFL & New York Giants for racial discrimination in the hiring process. https://t.co/4dY9eAMI6c pic.twitter.com/ViJ1a5DunG
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) February 1, 2022
In the lawsuit, Flores’s lawyers say he wants the NFL to increase diversity in its hiring processes for head coach, coordinator, and general manager positions. Flores also wants the NFL to increase pay transparency for those three types of positions. Finally, Flores wants the NFL to encourage more black investment and ownership in the league.
His lawsuit references the text messages from Belichick to argue that the Giants conducted a “sham” interview with him while knowing they were going to hire Daboll.
“Sorry — I f***** this up. I double checked and misread the text. I think they are naming Brian Daboll. I’m sorry about that. BB,” Belichick said in a text message after realizing his error, according to the lawsuit.
Flores’s lawyers suggest that the Giants conducted the interview with him to satisfy the “Rooney Rule.” The rule was implemented over 20 years ago and requires NFL teams to interview at least one black candidate for any head coach vacancy.
The Giants, which announced Daboll as the new coach Jan. 28, released a statement in response to Flores’s allegations.
“We are pleased and confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Daboll. We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates,” the team said. “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.”
In a statement about the lawsuit, the NFL said there is no merit to Flores’s claims.
“The NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations,” the NFL said. “Diversity is core to everything we do and there are few issues on which our clubs and internal leadership team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit.”
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Flores said he hopes his lawsuit will lead to change in the NFL. He cited the work of Martin Luther King Jr. and noted that Tuesday was the start of Black History Month. In the lawsuit, Flores’s lawyers accused the NFL of being “rife with racism,” particularly when it comes to hiring black head coaches, coordinators, and general managers. They also contended that “the NFL is racially segregated and is managed much like a plantation.”
Flores was let go from the Dolphins in early January after finishing the regular season without a playoff berth. He coached the Dolphins for three years and boasted back-to-back winning seasons prior to his dismissal. The Dolphins have gone two decades without a playoff win.
