Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores sues NFL over racism in their hiring process

Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a class-action lawsuit on Tuesday against the NFL, New York Giants, the Denver Broncos, and the Dolphins over the team’s alleged racial discrimination in their hiring process.

The lawsuit alleges that the Giants interviewed Flores to satisfy the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and operations positions.

“While racial barriers have been eroded in many areas, Defendant the National Football League (“NFL” or the “League”) lives in a time of the past. As described throughout this Class Action Complaint, the NFL remains rife with racism, particularly when it comes to the hiring and retention of Black Head Coaches, Coordinators, and General Managers,” says the lawsuit.

“Over the years, the NFL and its 32-member organizations (the “Teams”) have been given every chance to do the right thing. Rules have been implemented, promises made—but nothing has changed. In fact, the racial discrimination has only been made worse by the NFL’s disingenuous commitment to social equity.”  

As evidence Flores cited screenshots of texts exchanged with his former boss, the New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, allegedly showing how the Giants interviewed him despite having already decided on Brian Daboll as head coach.

Three days before Flores’ interview with the Giants, Belichick said, “I think they are naming Brian Daboll. I’m sorry about that. BB.”

Giant spokesman Pat Hanlon said the team was “confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Daboll” and that “Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach.”

The NFL responded to the lawsuit by claiming it was “without merit.”

“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. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit,” said the NFL.

Flores is the son of Honduran immigrants. He was a scout and assistant with the New England Patriots for 15 seasons before joining the Dolphins as head coach in 2019. He was fired in January 2022 due to poor collaboration, according to the team.

“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 N.F.L., others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come,” Flores said.