The NFL issued a quick and defiant statement following former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores’ civil lawsuit alleging racism from the NFL and the New York Giants.
Flores, citing a text message exchange with Bill Belichick, accused the Giants of deciding to hire former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll before the team had even interviewed Flores, indicating New York conducted a sham interview with Flores for no other reason than to meet — or sidestep — the requirements of the NFL’s Rooney Rule. Daboll is the Giants coach.
”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 in a statement on Tuesday. “Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit.”
Not only has Flores faced racism in his NFL tenure, but he alleges that he also dealt with pressure from Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to consistently break league rules. Per Flores’ lawsuit, Ross attempted to bribe the coach to lose on purpose during the 2019 season at a rate of $100,000 per loss. Flores refused to tank to better their draft position. Flores also alleged that Ross attempted to coordinate multiple meetings with a prominent quarterback in 2019, which would have violated the NFL’s policies on tampering.
The NFL’s blanket denial did not address any of the allegations in particular. It’s unclear how the league can know these claims are without merit just a few hours after the emergence of the lawsuit.
