Brian Flores knew the risk he was taking by suing the NFL for racial discrimination. While many applauded Flores for the courage he showed in exposing the league’s longstanding diversity problem (particularly in the head coaching ranks), others, including civil rights attorney Carl E. Douglas, worry his crusade was a mistake, putting his career in jeopardy by biting the very hand that feeds him.
Flores’ impact has already been felt, resulting in two minority candidates—Mike McDaniel and Lovie Smith of the Dolphins and Texans, respectively—being hired in the past week. And while that’s precisely what Flores set out to accomplish with his lawsuit, some fear it may have come at the expense of his career. Will Flores, who had been a finalist for coaching vacancies in New Orleans and Houston before he put the NFL on blast, land on his feet, or will the league turn its back on him, dooming him to the same fate as Colin Kaepernick?
Former NFL quarterback and current NBC personality Chris Simms weighed in during his weekly appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, expressing optimism that Flores will eventually get a second chance. “I do think the NFL’s going to want him to get a job again,” said Simms. “He should be a head coach. I think they’re going to realize that. I do think [Flores] will be a head coach at some point again, and I give him a lot of credit for what he’s doing.”
A longtime Patriots assistant under Bill Belichick, many would argue Flores overachieved in Miami, leading the Dolphins to consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2002-03. In his lawsuit, Flores accused owner Stephen Ross of bribing him to lose games, offering a $100,000 bonus for each game the Dolphins lost in 2019. That concern was recently addressed by commissioner Roger Goodell, who promised a “thorough” investigation into Flores’ claims while stressing “integrity” as one of the league’s core values.
“The NFL is deep-rooted in its whiteness. Just the coaches, how many of them have been for generations, their families are there. The son, the grandsons. Look at [Sean] McVay. He’s the grandson of a big-time, NFL executive,” Simms theorized. “I don’t look at it as owners being racist or GMs being racist. I just think it’s a comfort zone. That’s where Brian Flores is going to come in real handy here. He has to continue to push these people out of their comfort zone so African American coaches who are clearly worthy get hired more consistently.”
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