Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores is suing the NFL and three of its teams over alleged racist hiring policies.
ESPN reports that the class action lawsuit was filed in Manhattan on Tuesday (February 1). It seeks unspecified damages from the NFL, the Miami Dolphins, New York Giants and Denver Broncos.
Among the biggest allegations cited in the lawsuit was Flores’ claim that the Giants interviewed him for the position of head coach only to comply with the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which required minority candidates to be interviewed.
The 40-year-old provides a series of text messages he received from Bill Belichick, in which the New England Patriots coach initially appears to congratulate him for securing the position.
When Flores replies that he has yet to be interviewed and enquires if Belichick is texting the correct candidate, Belichick replies: “Sorry – I f***** this up. I double-checked & I misread the text. I think they are naming Daboll. I’m sorry about that. BB.”
Flores goes on to describe a similar encounter with the Broncos in 2019. He claimed that it was clear from the offset o the interview that it was not being taken seriously when team executives – including general manager John Elway – turned up an hour late and hungover.
Addressing his former team, Flores says that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for every game they lost in order to “tank” the season so that the team could have the top pick in the 2020 draft.
He also went on to claim that Ross tried to pressure him into recruiting a prominent quarterback (rumoured to be Tom Brady) – violating the NFL’s rules on tampering.
Flores says his refusal to do so led to him being branded as “difficult to work with” and ultimately led to his firing on January 10.
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