Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores accuses the NFL of racial discrimination

Brian Flores was fired from the Miami Dolphins in January which sparked a huge conversation of discrimination in the NFL’s hiring practices when Flores believed race was a factor in his firing.

Flores is suing the NFL and three teams including the New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins alleging discriminatory hiring practices. “I think race played a role in my firing…I was made out to be a difficult person to work with and I think my white counterparts wouldn’t have been asked to do the things I was asked to do,” Flores said. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for all Black head coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators and quarterback coaches as well as general managers and African American candidates for those positions.

The Rooney Rule is apart of the NFL’s policy requiring teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior operation jobs though these interviews are almost useless if organizations know they are hiring someone else during those meetings.

This Brian Flores lawsuit against the #NFL is going to resonate throughout sports and be a significant moment in the history of the league. I’ve spoken to two other coaches who believe they have the receipts to be a part of the class. This could be a tsunami before it’s all over.

— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) February 1, 2022

In the lawsuit, Flores alleges that the Giants conducted a bogus interview with him in January solely for the purpose of fulfilling the Rooney Rule. Flores backs up this claim by explaining that before his interview even happened New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick texted him saying he heard from “Buffalo and NYG that you are their guy.” Flores asked for clarification if he meant to text him or Brian Daboll and Belichick realized he texted the wrong Brian. This situation made Flores feel as though his interview was just to satisfy a rule and not to actually be taken into consideration as a candidate. 

Brian Flores first discusses why Bill Belichick is the GOAT — then explains why he used Belichick's text messages in the discrimination lawsuit.

"I thought it was specific to the lawsuit in that it confirmed a lot of the things that I thought were going on." pic.twitter.com/lAVxAlMvJu

— Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) February 21, 2022

Flores highlights his concerns with speaking out on this topic but felt it was necessary not only for himself but other minorities in the field. “I understand the risks, and yes, it was a difficult decision. I went back and forth,” he said Wednesday. “I love coaching. I do. It’s something that I’m passionate about. It brings me joy. And I love helping young people reach their potential and become the best version of themselves. I’m gifted to do that. But this is bigger than that.”

In the suit, it is pointed out that despite the fact that 70% of NFL players are Black, none of the 32 team owners are, and Black people are scarcely represented among the ranks of head coaches, coordinators, and general managers. Flores even claimed the NFL is racially segregated and “managed much like a plantation,” charging that of the 32 owners, none of whom are Black, profit from the labor of its players, majority being African American.

Following the news of the lawsuit, Brian Flores was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an assistant.

This lawsuit has opened up a new conversation as to the racism within the NFL. Do you believe the rules and policies in the NFL are creating an unfair disadvantage so minorities struggle or are unable to work in those spaces?