It’s been a busy morning for former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who is making the media rounds, appearing on both CNN and CBS to discuss his racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL, alleging he was used as a token interview to satisfy the “Rooney Rule,” which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate during a given hiring cycle. Flores, who was fired last month despite leading Miami to consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2002-03, acknowledges his stance against the league could prevent him from getting another NFL coaching opportunity. But, similar to Colin Kaepernick’s protest against the NFL’s systemic racism years earlier, Flores knows he’s fighting for something much bigger.
“I understand the risk. Look, I love coaching football. I’m called to coach football. I’m gifted to coach football. And I still want to coach, let’s be clear about that. But this is bigger than coaching. This is bigger than me,” expressed Flores during his appearance Wednesday on CNN. “I have two sons, eight and seven. I have a five-year-old daughter. When I look at them, I don’t want them to go through some of the things that I’ve had to go through.”
Flores’ 58-page lawsuit includes a damning text message exchange with Bill Belichick (who mistakenly thought he was congratulating Brian Daboll on winning the Giants’ head coaching job, days before Flores was even interviewed for that position) and an explosive claim that owner Stephen Ross attempted to bribe him, offering $100,000 for each game the Dolphins lost in 2019. Flores believes his refusal to follow Miami’s “tanking” mandate set in motion his inevitable firing two years later.
“This game has done a lot for me. I grew up not far from here, in the projects in Brownsville, Brooklyn. I didn’t grow up with a lot. This game changed my life. To attack the integrity of the game—that’s what I felt was happening in that instance—I wouldn’t stand for it,” said Flores during a separate interview with CBS Mornings. “I think it hurt my standing within the organization and ultimately was the reason why I was let go.”
Flores, a former Boston College linebacker who spent 11 years as an assistant under Belichick before branching out on his own as Miami’s head coach in 2019, also named the Broncos in his suit, alleging team executives including president of football operations John Elway didn’t take his interview seriously, showing up an hour late while looking “disheveled” from drinking the night before. “I thought about guys on my staff, who I know are more than capable, who are gifted to coach in this league, to lead,” said Flores, who is of Afro-Honduran descent. “I just want them to have the opportunity to stand in front of an owner and have a real opportunity to get one of those jobs and lead a team.”
It doesn’t look like Flores will be getting a head-coaching job this cycle—or perhaps ever—despite interviewing for vacancies in Chicago, Houston, New Orleans and New York. Flores’ departure from Miami along with David Culley’s firing in Houston leaves Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin as the NFL’s only black head coach and one of just three minority coaches throughout the league. Washington’s Ron Rivera (Puerto Rican) and Jets coach Robert Saleh (Lebanese) are the others.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram