Los Angeles (AFP) - Brian Flores, who was passed over for a job with the New York Giants last week, has sued the National Football League, accusing the league and its owners of running their operation "like a plantation."
The former Miami Dolphins coach has filed a class action lawsuit in the US courts and seeks unspecified damages from the league, the Giants, the Miami Dolphins and the Denver Broncos.
The 58-page suit was filed in United States District Court Southern District of New York on Tuesday. Flores, who is Black, is represented by Wigdor Law and the firm of Elefterakis, Elefterakis & Panek.
"In certain critical ways, the NFL is racially segregated and is managed much like a plantation," the lawsuit said. "Its 32 owners -- none of whom are Black -- profit substantially from the labor of NFL players, 70 percent of whom are Black.
"The owners watch the games from atop NFL stadiums in their luxury boxes, while their majority-Black workforce put their bodies on the line every Sunday, taking vicious hits and suffering debilitating injuries to their bodies and their brains while the NFL and its owners reap billions of dollars."
Flores was fired last month by Miami after leading the Dolphins to their first back-to-back winning seasons since 2003. He finished with a 24-25 record over three seasons.
Flores has alleged the league is purposely denying Black coaches jobs for racial reasons.
The lawsuit said that the league has discriminated against Flores and other Black coaches by conducting sham interviews and denying them jobs as head coaches, assistant coaches and general managers.
"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 news release on Tuesday.
"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 Giants, who hired Brian Daboll as their new head coach last week, released a response to Flores' allegations.
'Most qualified'
"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."
The suit includes text messages between Flores and Bill Belichick where the New England Patriots head coach gets mixed up and congratulates Flores on landing the Giants' job three days before Flores was scheduled to be interviewed for the position.
"I hear from Buffalo & NYG that you are their guy," Belichick texted Flores, mistaking him for Daboll.
"Sorry -- I f---ed this up," Belichick texts after Flores clarifies which Brian he's is talking about. "I double checked & I misread the text. I think they are naming Daboll. I'm sorry about that."
Flores also alleges Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for every defeat late in the season which would have improved the club's position in the off season entry draft.
