Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores has filed a lawsuit against the NFL and its 32 teams, alleging not only discriminatory hiring practices against African American coaching and front-office candidates but also sham interviews under the guise of following the Rooney Rule.
Filed in the Southern District of New York, the class-action lawsuit accuses the defendants of violating Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866; the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination; the New York State Human Rights Law; and the New York City Human Rights Law.
Flores claims to act on behalf of “all Black head coach, offensive and defensive coordinators and quarterbacks coaches, as well as general managers and black candidates for those positions.”
Flores was fired following the 2021 season—after leading the Dolphins to consecutive winning seasons—and he claims that the league acts like a “plantation”; he says the 32 teams, none of which has an African American owner, profit from the labor of a league that is 70% African American.
He adds that the league refuses to adequately address “racism, particularly when it comes to the hiring and retention of Black head coaches, coordinators and general managers.”
One specific allegation is that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross asked him to “tank” games during the 2019 season to improve the team’s draft position to secure who would eventually be quarterback Joe Burrow, who just led the Cincinnati Bengals to their first Super Bowl since 1989. Ross also allegedly offered the coach $100,000 for each loss that year.
“Then, when the Dolphins started winning games, due in no small part to Mr. Flores’ coaching, Mr. Flores was told by the team’s General Manager, Chris Grier, that ‘Steve’ was ‘mad’ that Mr. Flores’ success in winning games that year was ‘compromising (the team’s) draft position.’”
The lawsuit also alleges Ross asked Flores to violate league tampering rules following the 2019 season to recruit a ‘prominent quarterback’ set to enter free agency—allegedly Tom Brady.
The former coach says that after “he repeatedly refused to comply with these improper directives” Ross invited him to lunch on a yacht where the targeted quarterback “conveniently” arrived in the same marina. He reportedly “refused the meeting and left the yacht immediately.”
Following the yacht episode, litigation says that “Flores was treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with.”
More allegations say the Broncos (2019) and Giants (2021) conducted “sham” interviews with him.
Flores claims then-Broncos general manager John Elway and team president/CEO Joe Ellis and others showed up for his interview an hour late and “completely disheveled, and it was obvious that they had drinking (sic) heavily the night before. It was clear from the substance of the interview that Mr. Flores was interviewed only because of the Rooney Rule, and that the Broncos never had any intention to consider him as a legitimate candidate for the job.”
He also has receipts: Flores included a screenshot of a text message with Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who confused him with Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Belichick congratulated the wrong Brian for getting the job—three days before he was set to interview with New York.
The lawsuit aims to:
- Increase the influence of African American individuals in hiring and termination decisions for GM, head coach, and offensive and defensive coordinator positions;
- Increase the objectivity of hiring and termination decisions for GM, head coach, and offensive and defensive coordinator positions;
- Increase the number of African American offensive and defensive coordinators;
- Incentivize the hiring and retention of African American GMs, head coaches, and offensive and defensive coordinators through monetary, draft, and/or other compensation such as additional salary cap space;
- Complete transparency with respect to pay for all GMs, head coaches, and offensive and defensive coordinators.
Flores’ statement:
“God has gifted me with a special talent to coach the game of football, but the need for change is bigger than my personal goals. In making the decision to file the class-action complaint, I understand that I may be risking coaching the game I love. 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 NFL’s statement:
“The NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations. Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues in which our clubs and internal leadership team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit.”
The Dolphins’ statement:
“We are aware of the lawsuit through the media reports that came out this afternoon. We vehemently deny any allegations of racial discrimination and are proud of the diversity and inclusion throughout our organization. The implication that we acted in a manner inconsistent with the integrity of the game is incorrect. We will be withholding further comment on the lawsuit at this time.”
The Broncos’ statement:
The Giants’ statement:
“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 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.”
Flores went 24-25 in three seasons in Miami—a worse-looking record due to a 5-11 season in that rocky 2019 campaign. He saw winning seasons in 2020 (10-6) and 2021 (9-8), missing out on the postseason by one game each year.
Prior to Miami, Flores was a scout and assistant under Belichick with the Patriots from 2004-18.
