Brian Flores isn’t suing the NFL for the money—he’s doing it to spur change, forcing the NFL to look itself in the mirror after decades of mistreating minority coaches with unfair hiring practices and the inherently flawed Rooney Rule. However, an unintended consequence of Flores’ lawsuit is that it may cause the NFL to finally address its tanking problem through instituting a draft lottery.
For too long, the NFL has incentivized tanking, with teams like the Dolphins making little effort to field a competitive roster, improving their draft position in hopes of landing a franchise cornerstone like Joe Burrow or Justin Herbert. It’s hard to blame the Dolphins for trying to game a broken system, following the blueprint outlined by the Astros and “Process” Era 76ers, once-inept teams that became successful after years of stockpiling draft picks and other assets.
Sports are largely cyclical, with most teams alternating between agonizing dry spells and periods of prolonged success. Armed with that knowledge, teams have figured out that it’s better to be a laughingstock than to be stuck in what Succession’s Tom Wambsgans would call the “endless middle.” Of course, fans aren’t as patient as the teams they root for, and, in many cases, that payoff won’t come for several years. That’s a long time to wait, especially in the age of same-day shipping and 5G internet, where we’ve grown accustomed to having our needs met instantly. It’s also unwatchable and a black eye on the sport, turning off customers who paid an arm and a leg to see their team at least be competitive.
That’s not to say bouncing ping pong balls would be an overnight fix. Having the lottery as a safeguard clearly hasn’t stopped NBA teams from tanking, including the Oklahoma City Thunder, who own a remarkable 38 picks (many of them second-round dart throws) over their next seven drafts. But adopting a lottery system would hopefully prevent embarrassing displays like the one we saw last year from Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who inexplicably dialed up an all-out blitz against the Raiders, allowing Henry Ruggs to waltz in for the game-winning touchdown. It would also discourage owners like Stephen Ross from bribing coaches to lose games, especially problematic now that the NFL finds itself increasingly aligned with sportsbooks and other gambling platforms.
Some might resist the lottery idea, though others would surely embrace it. You may recall Week 17 of the 2020 season, when Doug Pederson, in what would be his final game as Eagles head coach, benched Jalen Hurts for scarcely-used backup Nate Sudfeld, essentially handing Washington the division on a silver platter. The Giants—who missed the playoffs because of it—cried foul while Pederson’s stunt caused such backlash Philadelphia had almost no choice but to fire him. The Sudfeld debacle was both an utter farce and completely avoidable.
Will the allegations detailed in Flores’ lawsuit force the NFL to revisit its stance on tanking? It should.
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