- Brian Flores has filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the National Football League.
- The former Miami Dolphins coach accused multiple franchises of racial discrimination.
- He knows he "may be risking coaching" by filing, but says "the need for change" is more important.
Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores said the racial discrimination lawsuit he filed against the NFL on Tuesday may cost him his career.
"God has gifted me with a special talent to coach the game of football, but "the need for change is bigger than my personal goals," he said in a statement, shared by NFL Network reporter Mike Giardi.
"In making the decision to file the class action complaint, I understand that I may be risking coaching the game I love," Flores added.
In the blockbuster class-action suit, Flores accused the league itself and several of its teams of racial discrimination.
The class-action suit alleges the NFL "remains rife with racism" and that teams brought him in for job interviews even though they weren't seriously considering him for open coaching positions.
In one such example, Flores insinuated that the New York Giants offered him an interview for their vacant head coaching position only to satisfy "Rooney Rule" requirements. He alleged that New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick accidentally texted him that the Giants had made up their minds to hire someone else — Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll — before they even interviewed Flores for the opening.
New York said that Flores was under consideration "until the 11th hour," but the team hired who they felt was "most qualified to be our next head coach."
Flores also claims in the suit that the Denver Broncos were unprofessional when they considered Flores to be their head coach in 2019. Several officials — including then-GM John Elway and longtime president Joe Ellis — showed up "completely disheveled" and an hour late, the suit details, and it was "obvious that they had drinking heavily the night before."
"It was clear from the substance of the interview that Mr. Flores was interviewed only because of the Rooney Rule," the suit added. "And that the Broncos never had any intention to consider him as a legitimate candidate for the job."
The suit, which was filed on the first day of Black History Month, reiterates a litany of past incidents and charges against the league, including the treatment of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. At present, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is the only Black head coach in the NFL.