On Tuesday, Brian Flores, the former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, filed a class-action claim against the NFL in the Southern District of New York, claiming that the league is racist in its hiring practices of coaches, and claiming that Flores himself has undergone two separate interviews with two different teams — the New York Giants and Denver Broncos — in which it was clear that the interviews were merely setups for the teams to avoid going afoul of the Rooney Rule, which states that all teams must give at least one interview to a minority candidate before making a head coaching hire.
“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,” Flores said in a statement. “In making the decision to file the class action complaint, I understand that I may be risking coaching the game I love, and has done so much for my family and me. 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.”
Former #Dolphins coach Brian Flores has retained counsel and filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL. The details: pic.twitter.com/MRuP6O6YcA
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 1, 2022
That’s from the lawyers Flores has retained in the complaint.
The NFL was quick to release a statement.
New from @NFL345 pic.twitter.com/3hks2xsDCc
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) February 1, 2022
The Giants and Broncos also released statements refuting Flores’ claims.
Statement from the New York Giants pic.twitter.com/lq8zE3j6NB
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) February 1, 2022
Broncos’ statement today on Brian Flores’ lawsuit: pic.twitter.com/IFVBNhQLgq
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 1, 2022
Proving institutional racism at a level forcing legal relief can be difficult, even in the most advantageous situations for a plaintiff. But in Flores’ case, he’s got the NFL’s history of systemic racism on his side, and that history is damning from the league’s formation in 1920 to the present day.
Studies show that the NFL is not as diverse as it wants you to think
