Brian Flores Sues NFL in Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores sued the Nationwide Soccer League on Tuesday for racial discrimination in a category motion lawsuit quoting the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — and an ungainly textual content trade with the New England Patriots’ legendary head coach Invoice Belichick.

The NFL has lengthy struggled with why a sport that has principally Black gamers employs an awesome majority of white head coaches, and Flores claimed that his textual content trade with Belichick illustrates the NFL’s systemic hiring drawback.

“The Want for Change Is Larger Than My Private Objectives”

Three days earlier than Flores was slated to interview for a job with the New York Giants, the previous Dolphins coach stated that he unintentionally realized the place already had been stuffed due to a textual content despatched to him in error by Belichick.

“Sorry – I fucked this up,” Belichick wrote to Flores, in line with textual content messages embedded within the lawsuit. “I double checked and misinterpret the textual content. I believe they’re naming Brian Daboll. I’m sorry about that. BB.”

Daboll, who’s white and born in Canada, in actual fact grew to become the Giants’ head coach final Friday.

On the primary day of Black Historical past Month, Flores stated that the mix-up was worse than a fake pas. He alleges that the aim of the interview was to sign to the general public that the New York Giants group would adjust to the decades-old Rooney Rule, established to interview two minority candidates in particular person.

Knowledgeable that he was to not grow to be the primary Black head coach within the almost 100-year historical past of the Giants, Flores claims, he was pressured him to sit down by humiliating interviews for a job he already knew he wouldn’t get.

“Thus, on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, Mr. Flores was pressured to sit down by a dinner with Joe Schoen, the Giants’ new Common Supervisor, figuring out that the Giants had already chosen Mr. Daboll,” the lawsuit states. “A lot worse, on Thursday, January 27, 2022, Mr. Flores needed to give an intensive interview for a job that he already knew he wouldn’t get—an interview that was held for no motive apart from for the Giants to reveal falsely to the League Commissioner Roger Goodell and the general public at giant that it was in compliance with the Rooney Rule.”

Opening his lawsuit with references to Black icons King, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass, Jackie Robinson and Mamie Until, Flores stated he hoped his lawsuit would make a distinction.

“God has gifted me with a particular expertise to teach the sport of soccer, however the want for change is greater than my private objectives,” Flores stated in a press release. “In making the choice to file the category motion grievance as we speak, I perceive that I could also be risking teaching the sport that I like and that has finished a lot for my household and me. My honest hope is that by standing up towards systemic racism within the NFL, others will be part of me to make sure that optimistic change is made for generations to come back.”

The NFL launched a press release asserting that they’re “deeply dedicated to making sure equitable employment practices and proceed to make progress in offering equitable alternatives all through our group.”

“Variety is the core of all the things we do, and there are few points on which our golf equipment and our inside management workforce spend extra time,” the assertion continues. “We are going to defend towards these claims, that are with out benefit.”

“Managed A lot Like a Plantation”

For Flores, it was a part of a string of slights by the league in a job the place he was wonderful. Flores even alleged that Stephen Ross, the Dolphins proprietor who fired him, provided him cash to “tank” video games in 2019:

In January 2022, Mr. Flores, who spent three years because the Head Coach of Defendant Miami Dolphins, Ltd. (the “Dolphins” or “Miami”), discovered himself with no job. He was fired by the Dolphins after main the workforce to its first back-to-back profitable seasons since 2003. The purported foundation for his termination was alleged poor collaboration. In actuality, the writing had been on the wall since Mr. Flores’ first season as Head Coach of the Dolphins, when he refused his proprietor’s directive to “tank” for the primary choose within the draft. Certainly, throughout the 2019 season, Miami’s proprietor, Stephen Ross, informed Mr. Flores that he would pay him $100,000 for each loss, and the workforce’s Common Supervisor, Chris Grier, informed Mr. Flores that “Steve” was “mad” that Mr. Flores’ success in profitable video games that yr was “compromising [the team’s] draft place.”

Beautiful many, Flores was fired after main the Dolphins in back-to-back profitable seasons, and he stated that the league stigmatized him as an “indignant black man” for the aggressive options applauded in his white counterparts.

“In sure essential methods, the NFL is racially segregated and is managed very similar to a plantation,” the 58-page lawsuit states. “Its 32 house owners—none of whom are Black—revenue considerably from the labor of NFL gamers, 70% of whom are Black. The house owners watch the video games from atop NFL stadiums of their luxurious bins, whereas their majority-Black workforce put their our bodies on the road each Sunday, taking vicious hits and struggling debilitating accidents to their our bodies and their brains whereas the NFL and its house owners reap billions of {dollars}.”

“Many gamers need to teach for his or her post-playing careers. Others need to work their manner into management-level positions at one of many NFL’s 32 Groups,” the swimsuit continues. “Sadly, for Black people, that’s simpler stated than finished.”

In response to the lawsuit, solely one of many league’s groups employs a Black head coach (Mike Tomlin has been the top coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2007).

The proposed class consists of “All Black Head Coach, Offensive and Defensive Coordinators and Quarterbacks Coaches, in addition to Common Managers, and Black candidates for these positions.”

Flores is represented by prime civil rights legal professionals Douglas Wigdor and John Elefterakis.

“On the primary day of Black Historical past Month, it’s our nice privilege to characterize Brian Flores in his class motion grievance towards the NFL,” they wrote in a press release. “This case seeks to stage the enjoying area within the hope that future house owners and coaches will likely be consultant of the athletes who’re enjoying this nice recreation. We absolutely anticipate coaches and gamers of all races to help Brian as he embarks on his journey to create optimistic change.”

Filed within the Southern District of New York, the lawsuit seeks a federal court docket injunction rising the affect of Black folks in hiring and termination selections.

It additionally proposes guaranteeing range of possession by creating and funding a committee devoted to sourcing Black buyers to take majority possession stakes in NFL Groups—and allowing choose Black gamers and coaches to take part within the interviewing course of for basic supervisor, head coach and offensive and defensive coordinator positions.

In assertion, the New York Giants stated: “We’re happy on assured with the method that resulted within the hiring of Invoice Daboll. We interviewed a various group of candidates. The actual fact of the matter is, Brian Flores was within the dialog to be our head coach till the eleventh hour. In the end, we employed the person we felt was most certified to be our head coach.”

Flores additionally seeks unspecified punitive damages on behalf of the proposed class.

Replace—Feb. 1 at 6:47 p.m. Jap Time: This story has been up to date to incorporate the NFL’s response to the lawsuit.

Learn the lawsuit, under:

(Photograph by Mark Brown/Getty Photographs)

Have a tip we should always know? [email protected]