Brian Flores has a strong case against the NFL without besmirching his peers. The inadvertent texts from Bill Belichick appear to show he participated in a sham interview with the Giants, and the lack of Black head coaches speaks to the overall climate in the league.
That’s why it was so curious to see Flores’ lawyers release a statement Monday saying their client wasn’t hired as the Texans’ next head coach solely because of his pending lawsuit. In addition to being difficult to prove, their words undercut Lovie Smith, whom they infer was an inferior candidate.
“Mr. Flores is happy to hear that the Texans have hired a Black head coach, Lovie Smith, as Mr. Flores’ goal in bringing his case is to provide real opportunities for Black and minority candidates to be considered for coaching and executive positions within the NFL," the statement reads. "However, we would be remiss not to mention that Mr. Flores was one of three finalists for the Texans’ head coach position and, after a great interview and mutual interest, it is obvious that the only reason Mr. Flores was not selected was his decision to stand up against racial inequality across the NFL.”
It’s true the Texans reportedly had strong interest in Flores. As his attorneys state, he was widely considered to be one of the finalists for their head coaching job, and enjoys a rapport with Houston’s front office. General manager Nick Caserio and former team chaplain-turned-executive Jack Easterby worked with Flores in New England.
With that in mind, Flores’ suit probably deterred Houston from hiring him. Few owners likely have the appetite to hire a Black man who’s suing their fellow white billionaires for racial discrimination. But it isn’t prudent for Flores’ lawyers to get into the game of questioning hirings in real time. The allegations risk turning his very viable suit into a running grievance.
Flores' lawyers say it’s “obvious” he wasn’t hired because of his stand. That’s a strong word, especially in the legal arena.
The inferences in the statement about Smith are also strong. While Flores’ attorneys extend their congratulations to Smith, they also basically say he didn’t deserve the job.
That might be the case. Smith, who somehow went to the Super Bowl with Rex Grossman as his quarterback, is 25-63 in the last 88 games he’s coached. In Smith’s last NFL job with Tampa Bay, he went 8-24.
But then again, Smith served as Houston’s associate head coach and defensive coordinator last season. Maybe his familiarity with the organization ultimately led the Texans to hiring him.
Either way, the merits of Smith’s hiring shouldn’t be part of Flores’ suit. It distracts from his case, and makes the focus far too narrow.