(WFAN) Brian Flores has filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and its teams -- specifically naming the Giants, Broncos and Dolphins -- alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices and operations.
The suit alleges that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered Flores a $100,000 bonus for each Miami loss in 2019 -- asserting Ross wanted the No. 1 overall pick in a 2020 NFL Draft in which Joe Burrow went No. 1 overall and Miami selected Tua Tagovailoa No. 5 -- and that when lead executive John Elway and the Broncos’ staff showed up “late and disheveled” to a job interview in 2019, it was “clear from the substance of the interview that Mr. Flores was only interviewed to satisfy the Rooney Rule.” Flores was the Dolphins' head coach for the past three seasons before he was fired in January after the conclusion of a 9-8 season.
Specifically regarding the Giants, Flores’ suit alleges that his interview with the team last Thursday was a similar situation – a “sham interview” to satisfy the Rooney Rule – and claims that the organization already knew it was hiring Brian Daboll, who was officially named the head coach Friday evening.
As evidence of that, Flores’ suit includes a text message received from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on Jan. 24 – three days prior to Flores’ interview with the Giants – that congratulated Flores on getting the Giants’ job. It was later followed up on with this text:
“Sorry – I f***** this up. I double checked and misread the text. I think they are naming Brian Daboll. I’m sorry about that. BB.”
Shortly after news of the lawsuit broke, the New York Giants released a statement basically denying Flores' interview claim.
The questionable nature of the timing calls into question whether a virtual interview – which has become a norm over the last few years in the NFL due to COVID – counts as an actual job interview. If it does, the Giants technically would have satisfied the Rooney Rule by talking to Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier in mid-January.
If it doesn't, the Giants could have issue, as both Flores and Frazier, who interviewed in person last Friday (the day the Giants hired Daboll), met with the team well after Belichick’s text, which could indicate a token interview just to satisfy NFL regulations.
Flores’ suit, among other evidentiary notes, also notes that the NFL now only employs one black head coach and six black general managers out of 32 teams, and only 23 of the NFL’s 96 top coordinator spots are held by black men as well.
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