Among many eye-opening revelations included in Brian Flores’ racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL, the most damning claim—and the one that could ultimately cost Stephen Ross his controlling stake in the Dolphins—alleges Flores was offered $100,000 for each game he lost in 2019. Flores believes ownership resented him for refusing Ross’ marching orders, which ultimately led to his dismissal. The Dolphins would later embark on what many would consider a smear campaign against Flores, sabotaging his chances of getting another job elsewhere by portraying him as headstrong and difficult to work with.
Beyond the obvious conflict of interest—Ross was an early investor in Action Network, a valuable resource for sports betting—the optics of deliberately setting a black man up to fail are troubling to say the least. Think of the impossible situation Flores was put in. If he loses, future employers would inevitably dismiss Flores for having a poor track record in Miami, hindering his chances of ever getting another head-coaching opportunity. But by going against Ross’ orders, the Dolphins could spin a different narrative, justifying Flores’ firing by framing him as a high-maintenance malcontent unfit to lead an NFL team. It’s a lose lose for Flores and arguably his impetus for suing one of the most powerful entities on the planet.
Appearing on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, ESPN and HBO personality Bomani Jones shared an interesting perspective, expressing his belief the Dolphins hired Flores to be a scapegoat, acting as a glorified meat shield for one of football’s most toxic organizations. “He hired the black dude to lose. And this is a theme that the NFL has. I can list you some more. David Culley in Houston was hired to lose. Raheem Morris in Tampa Bay was probably hired to lose,” said Jones. “[Tampa Bay] messed up and had like one good season and nobody knew what to do, which I think is kind of similar to what I think has gone on with Flores.”
A counterpoint to that argument would be the Dolphins’ reported interest in Tom Brady, with Flores accusing Ross of tampering with Brady by inviting him on his boat when he was still under contract. Wining and dining the greatest quarterback of all-time would, admittedly, be a strange departure for a team intent on tanking. Regardless, Jones thinks Ross could still be in danger of losing his team if the league is able to corroborate any of Flores’ explosive claims.
“I don’t know if the other owners of the league can afford to show that dirt in their era of gambling,” Jones posited. “Stephen Ross is basically saying I want us to come out here and lose every game, and, by the way, was then ultimately going to fire [Flores] for losing all those games.”
Ross denied wrongdoing in a statement released Wednesday night, dismissing Flores’ allegations as “completely false” while insisting he plans to fully cooperate with the league’s investigation.
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