February 03, 2022

By Larry Neumeister

Associated Press

 

Fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores sued the NFL and three teams on February 1, over alleged racist hiring practices for coaches and general managers, saying the league remains “rife with racism” even as it publicly condemns it.

The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, said the hypocrisy was on display with the chilly treatment Flores received from the Dolphins after he refused to accept a $100,000-a-game offer from the club his first season to “tank” so it could secure the top draft pick.

The lawsuit sought class-action status and unspecified damages from the league, the Dolphins, the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants, along with unidentified individuals.

Flores, 40, was fired last month by Miami after leading the Dolphins to a 24-25 record over three years. They went 9-8 in their second straight winning season, but failed to make the playoffs during his tenure.

In a statement released by the lawyers representing him, Flores said: “God has gifted me with a special talent to coach the game of football, but the need for change is bigger than my personal goals.”

“In making the decision to file the class action complaint today, I understand that I may be risking coaching the game that I love and that has done so much for my family and me. My sincere hope is that by standing up against systemic racism in the NFL, others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come,” he said.

In a statement, the NFL said it will defend “against these claims, which are without merit.”

It added: “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. Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time.”

The lawsuit alleges that the league has discriminated against Flores and other Black coaches for racial reasons, denying them positions as head coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators and quarterbacks coaches, as well as general managers.

The lawsuit said the firing of Flores was typical for Black coaches who are not given the latitude other coaches receive to succeed. It noted that Flores led the Dolphins to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2003.

Last week, the Giants disclosed to third parties that they had decided to hire Brian Daboll as their new coach even when they had not yet had their scheduled meeting with Flores, the lawsuit said.

“Mr. Flores was deceptively led to believe he actually had a chance at this job,” the lawsuit said, adding that he had to endure a dinner with the Giants’ new general manager knowing that the team had already selected Daboll.

The lawsuit also cited a message Flores received three days before his scheduled Giants interview from New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, which at first told Flores he’d heard that Flores was “their guy.” But the lawsuit said Belichick apologized and corrected himself, saying he’d misread the text and now realized Daboll was chosen.

A message left with the Patriots was not immediately returned.

 “In certain critical ways, the NFL is racially segregated and is managed much like a plantation,” the lawsuit said.

“Its 32 owners — none of whom are Black — profit substantially from the labor of NFL players, 70% of whom are Black. The owners watch the games from atop NFL stadiums in their luxury boxes, while their majority-Black workforce put their bodies on the line every Sunday, taking vicious hits and suffering debilitating injuries to their bodies and their brains while the NFL and its owners reap billions of dollars,” it added.

According to the lawsuit, only one of the NFL’s 32 teams employs a Black head coach, only four of them employ a Black offensive coordinator and only 11 employ a Black defensive coordinator.

The lengthy lawsuit discusses the history of race in the league, from the slow acceptance of Black quarterbacks to the treatment that Colin Kaepernick endured when he kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.

Two lawyers, Douglas H. Wigdor and John Elefterakis, said in a statement that it was a privilege to file the lawsuit on behalf of Flores at the start of Black History Month.

“This case seeks to level the playing field in the hope that future owners and coaches will be representative of the athletes who are playing this great game,” they said. “We fully expect coaches and players of all races to support Brian as he embarks on his journey to create positive change.”

AP Sports Writers Tom Canavan contributed to this report. 

Category: Sports