It might seem to some that Brian Flores threw himself on the sword of
the NFL’s racism. He probably sacrificed his coaching future, the game
that he loves so much so that others like him will no longer have to
endure such bullshit. This is not about Flores being the angry black
man, or some martyr for black causes. This is about a man who no
longer wishes to play this game of hokey pokey with the NFL, where a
Black head coaching candidate has to smile through all the lies and
token interviews, simply done to dance around a rule.
The former Miami Dolphins coach has dug himself deep in the trenches
and he is ready for a long hard fight. This is bigger than football,
this is about fairness and equal opportunity. The data will show that
Flores has some facts that back up many of his claims. This is David
vs. Goliath battle, we know what happened there so anything is
possible. Make no mistake the NFL is a giant and has the very best
legal machine in the business ready to fight off these types of
claims. Historically they always find a way to come out smelling like
roses.
It is a day of reckoning for the NFL because this could be very
different. Flores’ lawsuit comes with documentation that goes beyond
the league’s poor history of promoting Black coaches and goes into
details that may show why it’s so hard for the few who are granted
opportunities to receive a reasonable amount of time to succeed.
Flores, who lost his job in Miami after back-to-back winning seasons,
made a tanking allegation against Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, saying
he was offered $100,000 per defeat during the 2019 season in an
attempt to ensure Miami captured the No. 1 pick in the draft. Flores
also accused Ross of asking him to commit a tampering violation to
recruit another team’s “prominent quarterback.”
All of the signs on the back of helmets that say end racism and all
the smokescreens to hide how this league really thinks may have
exploded in their faces thanks to an oops moment from a 69 year old
coach having issues with his phone while texting.
Flores’ lawsuit says the Giants scheduled a fake interview with him
last week simply to comply with the Rooney Rule. Flores also said the
Broncos put him through a similar interview three years ago, with no
intention of considering him for the job. That is when he said enough
is enough. Somebody must do something, and I will be the man to do
it.
The NFL said in a statement that Flores’ claims “are without merit”
while all the three franchises denied the allegations and defended
their hiring process in separate statements. On the first day of Black
History Month, on a day when perhaps the league’s greatest player
announced his retirement, the NFL now has a major crisis of epic
proportions on its hands.
It is going to be a long two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.
