Flores says in the suit that his "Rooney Rule" interview with the Giants was for a job that was never really open to him.
Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging racial discrimination against the NFL, the New York Giants and other teams, accusing them of "living in the past" and paying lip service to minority recruits. was accused of doing.
Flores, who is black, was fired by the Dolphins after a recently concluded season, even though his teams put up a respectable 24-25, including 9-8 points in 2021 and 10-6 in 2020 Included.
The finish was surprising, as Miami had not posted consecutive above-average records since seven straight winning seasons under Jimmy Johnson and Dave Vanstead from 1997 to 2003.
After Flores was fired in January, he quickly became a top coaching prospect in the entire league and produced an interview with the Giants.
But he claimed he was forced to endure a fake interview with the Giants – and said he had an offensive text message from legendary New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick to prove it.
According to Flores' complaint in the Southern District of New York, three days before Flores' job interview, which went to Brian Dabol, Belichick is accused of telling Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Dabol to tell him that he had already Got the job. York.
"Sorry... I rechecked the text and misread. I think they're naming Brian Dabol. I'm sorry about that. Bibi," Belichick texted Flores, according to the lawsuit .
The NFL denied Flores' claims and said it would fight the lawsuit.
"The NFL and our clubs are committed to ensuring equal employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equal opportunities across our organizations," the league said in a statement.
"Diversity is at the core of everything we do, and there are few issues on which our club and our internal leadership team spend the most time," it said. "We will defend against these claims, which are without merit."
Dolphins senior vice president and spokesman Jason Jenkins also issued a blanket denial that did not address the suit's specific claims.
"We strongly deny any allegation of racial discrimination and take pride in diversity and inclusion throughout our organization," he said in a statement. "The implication that we acted in a manner inconsistent with the integrity of the game is wrong."
Patriots vice president and spokeswoman Stacy James said she did not expect a response from Belichick, whose nonprofit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The NFL's "Rooney Rule" states that each team must interview a minority candidate for the head coach, general manager and top assistant coach positions.
Flores' attorney, Douglas H. Vigdor said, "The Rooney Rule isn't working as well because management isn't interviewing in good faith, and so it creates a stigma that black candidates are being interviewed only to comply. The Rooney Rule Black candidates." Instead of identifying the talents that have.
There is only one black head coach in the NFL now - Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Giants insist that they interviewed Flores in good faith and almost hired him.
“We are pleased and confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Dabol. We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates,” the team said in a statement on Tuesday.
"The truth of the matter is, Brian Flores was in talks to be our head coach by the eleventh hour," it said. "Ultimately, we hired the person we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach."
Flores' lawsuit also accused the Dolphins of demanding that it lose the game -- or "tank."
It is a distasteful but often effective pro sports tactic to win low priority, so payroll can be kept to a minimum, while rewarding a team with higher choices in the college draft can lead to future success.
"In fact, during the 2019 season, Miami owner, Stephen Ross, told Mr Flores that he would pay him $100,000 for every loss, and team general manager Chris Grier told Mr Flores that 'Steve was 'crazy. Mr. Flores' success in winning the game that year was "compromising [the team's] draft position," according to the complaint.
Flores said in a statement on Tuesday: "God has gifted me a special talent to coach the game of football, but the need for change is bigger than my personal goals.