Boom!!! That is the bomb that ex-Dolphins coach Brian Flores just dropped with his lawsuit against the NFL plus 3 teams, the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos and New York Giants. Flores’ lawsuit claims there is systemic racism with the NFL’s hiring practices for coaches and other high level positions.
There were also strong allegations made against Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross that could have extreme consequences for Ross and the Dolphins franchise.
Let’s start with the Ross allegations where Flores claims Ross offered him $100,000 for every game he lost in 2019 to improve the Dolphins draft position so they could select an elite quarterback in the 2020 NFL draft.
If those allegations are true, that is an attempt to fix games on the part of Ross. It is unethical and illegal! It attacks the integrity of the game. It also paints an alarming picture for football fans who assume the playing field is level and that every game is a genuine competition.
And let’s not overlook the potential implications from the gambling community as DraftKings and MGM are now major sponsors of the NFL. What would the blowback be from bettors and betting sites if it were proven that NFL games weren’t on the up & up?
The Ross allegations are so alarming that the NFL has already started their own investigation and there are rumors the FBI may get involved.
If the Ross allegations prove to be true, it is likely the NFL would force Ross to sell the team. And, if true, the consequences could be even more severe for the Dolphins as it would be hard to believe that Ross and Flores were the only members of Dolphins management who were aware of the supposed $100,000 per game offer. The NFL and/or the new Dolphins owner may want additional heads to roll if they were aware of the issue and did nothing about it.
The potential consequences to the Dolphins don’t end there as they are still trying to hire a new head coach to replace Flores. If you were a head coaching candidate, would you want to be the head coach of this dumpster fire of a franchise? I think some candidates will say “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Are the allegations true? I guess we’ll find out in the months to come, but as for now Ross is vehemently denying the allegations. On the flip side, Flores has stated he has proof (witnesses? Emails?) to support his side of the story.
To pile onto the Ross allegations, ex-Browns coach Hue Jackson has since come out saying Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam offered him financial incentives to tank games. Oh boy!
The fact that both owners are white and both coaches are black just adds more fire to the story. Which takes us to the primary focus of Flores’ lawsuit that there is systemic racism in how NFL teams interview and hire NFL coaches and other senior level football positions.
The NFL instituted The Rooney Rule back in 2003 requiring NFL teams to interview at least one Black candidate for head coaching jobs. The rule has since been modified changing the requirement to ethnic minorities as well as applying the rule to all senior football operations positions as well as coordinator openings.
The rule also now requires at least 2 ethnic minorities to be interviewed for head coach openings. The NFL now awards draft pick compensation to teams who hire minorities.
The basis of Flores’ lawsuit is that many of the ethnic minority interviews are a sham. That NFL teams really have no intention of hiring that minority candidate and they are just doing so to check off the minority interview box required under The Rooney Rule.
To support his case, he specifically included the Broncos, Giants and Dolphins in the lawsuit for wrong doings on their part. He alleges the Broncos didn’t take the interview seriously as GM John Elway showed up late and hungover to the interview.
As to the Giants, Flores claims the Giants had already made up their minds to hire Brian Daboll prior to interviewing him based on text messages he received from Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
Miami was included in the lawsuit for a few reasons above & beyond the Ross $100,000 tanking allegations. Flores asserts that Ross encouraged him more than once to reach out to Tom Brady while he was still the QB for the Patriots to gauge his interest in possibly signing with the Dolphins as a free agent after the season. This is called tampering and is a big no-no in the NFL.
Flores also claims that his refusal to tank games along with Ross’ supposed anger every time Miami did win a game led to a toxic work environment and was the reason he was eventually fired as the coach of the Dolphins a few weeks ago.
Are all of these allegations true? And even if they are, are they really the basis for a lawsuit you can win? Time will tell.
Three things I can guarantee you are:
One – The NFL will act swiftly in regard to their investigation into the tanking allegations as this affects the integrity of the game. And they will come down hard if the allegations are proven to be true.
Two – The Rooney Rule and how it is applied will be modified. In a league where 70% of the players are minorities it is hard to explain why there are so few minorities in head coach, coordinator and senior operation positions.
Three – In the future, I think the NFL will attempt to find minority owners when NFL teams come up for sale, which isn’t often. The Broncos are currently on the market. The supposed asking price is $4 billion, so that will narrow down the candidates whether they be a minority or not.
Am I surprised that some of these minority interviews are a sham? Not really. While the intent of The Rooney Rule is noble, we all know most teams have a predetermined short list when it comes to hiring head coaches, coordinators and senior operations personnel. Maybe that list will have multiple minority candidates. Or maybe it won’t have any minority candidates, which will result in some minority candidates being interviewed when they don’t have a real shot at being hired.
I think one of the intended side benefits of The Rooney Rule, even if a minority isn’t hired, is that it raises their profile for future openings and gives them the experience of going through the interview process.
By bringing this lawsuit, Flores has shown extreme courage in an attempt to bring change to the NFL, as it could adversely affect his ability to get another head coaching job. There are currently still 4 open positions, a couple of which he has interviewed for. Is an NFL team going to feel comfortable hiring Flores when he is suing the NFL? You would hope at least one team has the courage to do so to send a loud message to the NFL, its fans, its fellow owners and most importantly, to Brian Flores.
