Brian Flores files class action lawsuit with NFL for discrimination

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has filed a class-action lawsuit with the NFL for racial discrimination.

The NFL is under fire again, as former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has filed a class-action lawsuit against the league for racial discrimination on the first day of Black History Month.

Flores was fired as the head coach of Miami after three seasons, despite posting a winning record in the last three seasons. An impetus towards him suing the league is him believing the New York Giants violated the Rooney Rule, at least in spirit, by making him sit through the interview process days after him supposedly knowing they were just going to give the job to Brian Daboll anyway.

Here is a link to the lawsuit in full tweeted out by ESPN’s Michele Steele.

And here is the text exchange listed in the lawsuit between Flores and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who unfortunately mixed up his former Brian assistant coaches in his phone.

The Giants released the following statement about their hiring process of Daboll over Flores.

Former Miami Dolphins HC Brian Flores sues NFL for racial discrimination

Flores was a finalist for the Giants job that went to the Bills offensive coordinator. Like Flores, Daboll had previously worked for Belichick in New England. While the mix-up made by the Patriots head coach is a bad look, it is even worse for the Giants. Though Daboll was a top candidate for several jobs this cycle, the Giants making up their mind before the Flores interview is not good.

Though Flores is still technically in the mix for the Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints vacancies, him suing the league could potentially remove him from being able to land either of those jobs. After Flores and former Houston Texans head coach David Culley were fired, the only black NFL head coach is Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. This has to change yesterday.

Even though two black men have been hired as general managers in this offseason cycle in Ryan Poles to the Chicago Bears and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to the Minnesota Vikings, having only one black head coach in 2021 shows how little the NFL cares about using the Rooney Rule for good.