Brian Flores lawsuit: Everything we know so far

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is making headlines after it was announced he’s suing the NFL and New York Giants. 

The NFL has been rocked this week, as former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is suing the league and the New York Giants after he interviewed with the team, but didn’t land the job. New York decided to hire Buffalo’s Brian Daboll instead, but Flores is claiming they had made that decision before even bringing him in for an interview.

In a 58-page lawsuit filed in Manhattan, N.Y., Flores is claiming discrimination in his interviews with both the Giants and Denver Broncos, plus in his firing from the Dolphins. Here’s everything else we know on the matter.

Brian Flores lawsuit

Flores indeed filed his lawsuit in New York on Tuesday. This comes after he interview with the Giants late last month, only to see Daboll get the job over him. While the Giants have said Flores was a serious candidate, he isn’t seeing things that way.

Brian Flores texts with Bill Belichick

The lawsuit includes texts Flores received from Bill Belichick, which appeared to congratulate him on landing the Giants job.

However, Belichick thought he was texting Daboll and not Flores. Belichick ended up apologizing for the mistake.

Brian Flores alleges Dolphins owner offered him $100,000 to tank

In his complaint, Flores noted that he thinks the Giants simply interviewed him to check the box for the ‘Rooney Rule’ and they had already made up their mind on Daboll. That’s not all, though, as he also claims Miami owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for every loss during 2019 to help the team try and land a better NFL Draft pick.

Flores accuses Broncos of showing up late after a night of drinking

On top of that, Flores said that when he interviewed with the Broncos, the team’s execs, including John Elway, showed up an hour late. Flores added that it was clear everyone he met with had been drinking heavily the night before.

What is the Rooney Rule?

For those of you unfamiliar with the NFL’s Rooney Rule, it’s where a team must interview at least one ‘diverse’ candidate for a head coaching or front office management position. The Rooney Rule arrived was adopted in 2003.

New York Giants respond to the accusation by Flores

The New York Giants said Daboll was the most qualified coach and why they chose the former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator over Flores.

Brian Flores CBS interview

On Wednesday morning, Flores made his first public appearance since filing his lawsuit. Live in front of a national audience on CBS, Flores said he knows this might prevent him from reaching his dreams of becoming an NFL head coach – he’s still a candidate for the Saints and Texans jobs – but he wants to see changes in the NFL.

Flores is tired of diverse candidates being interviewed for positions only to comply with the Rooney Rule when the reality is they have no shot, to begin with.