Brian Flores vs. NFL

Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores sued the Dolphins, the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants, and the NFL for racism in hiring processes of coaches. This followed the controversial firing of Flores after a moderately successful season in his second year of coaching. Flores claimed that the Dolphins paid him to lose in the 2020 NFL season, something he claimed to have ignored. He said that they did this because of his race, and his race was the reason he got fired. In his decision to sue both the Broncos and the Giants, he claimed that they did not even care about him in hiring processes and during the interviews with the teams, he was ignored and not taken seriously. The NFL has denied his claims, saying, “Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and internal leadership team spend more time.” Many have criticized the NFL’s history on issues with race, such as the fact that the league only has three minority head coaches whereas more than half of the players in the league are minorities. Many teams have defended their hires, including the Denver Broncos, who took in controversy after hiring former Green Bay Packers Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett over Flores and Chiefs Coordinator Eric Bienemy. This case currently seems as though it will not settle, and an intense lawsuit is in the beginning stages. Flores was just recently hired onto the staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but says the lawsuit will remain in place. He joins the staff of Mike Tomlin, who has been an advocate for Flores’ cause since the beginning of the situation. Many analysts across the league believe that Flores greatly deserves a job, and has been snubbed by all thirteen teams who hired a new head coach this offseason. As Mike Tomlin’s coaching career begins to reach its end, many wonder if Flores is being groomed for the head coaching position in Pittsburgh. The storied franchise would certainly be making a good choice in their coaching job if they do indeed go with Flores in the future, but as of now, the NFL is lawyering up to fight this.