Former head coach Brian Flores is risking a promising future after filing a class-action suit against the NFL.
Regardless of how the case turns out, he might never coach in the pros again.
However, he felt that it was necessary to give his fellow ethnic-minority individuals a fair opportunity to prove themselves as competent coaches, general managers, and front office personnel.
Therefore, it’s time to give the league a reality check, and the repercussions could be ugly.
The Integrity Of The Game At Stake
As expected, the league defended itself and the other defendants in this landmark issue.
In an official statement, the NFL said that “diversity is at the core of everything we do.”
That line is so encompassing, making it easy to point out that it’s not entirely true.
Mike Tomlin is the only African-American head coach left after Flores and David Culley got the boot.
Culley’s case is justifiable because he led the Houston Texans to a 4-13 record.
Former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores joined @GetUpESPN to discuss his decision to sue the NFL and three teams, alleging racism in hiring practices.
"We need change. … We need to change the hearts and minds of people making those decisions." pic.twitter.com/HnlTHtZ2t5
— ESPN (@espn) February 2, 2022
Unfortunately, Flores’ situation is difficult to fathom, especially when he had two winning seasons in three years.
Under his guidance, the Dolphins won ten games in 2020 and nine a year later.
Those back-to-back winning seasons are something that the franchise hadn’t experienced since they went 11-5 in 2000 and 2001 under Dave Wannstedt.
Flores won with who he had and without sacrificing the game’s integrity, contrary to what Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wanted him to do.
Unfortunately, the league quickly defended an owner who allegedly offered Flores $100,000 for every loss during the 2019 season.
“Not all firings are equal. Brian Flores can do better.”
— @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/ZCrgTB42nV
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) January 10, 2022
It’s a gesture that does not bode well for a league enjoying high ratings throughout the current playoffs.
It would be difficult to prove that such a deal existed, but it seemed like the Dolphins set up Flores to fail.
Key players like Kiko Alonso, Kenny Stills, Vincent Taylor, and Laremy Tunsil were out of the roster before the season started.
Then, Minkah Fitzpatrick got traded after Week 2.
Brian Flores' lawsuit alleges that NFL teams would bring him in for interviews when they had already made up their mind to hire white coaches
Anyway, let's check in on the NFL rumor mill pic.twitter.com/TlGVUXm4Lk— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) February 2, 2022
The Dolphins finished the season at 5-11 despite an 0-7 start wherein it looked as if they could not care less about winning.
They lost those games by an average of 23 points, with six ending in double-digit margins.
Equality Above All?
The Dolphins’ issue is just the tip of the iceberg for a deeper issue at hand.
It’s no surprise that the team owned by the Rooney family is the only one left with a minority head coach.
Sadly, teams are complying with the Rooney Rule not to find the best hires but just for the sake of complying.
This is where the situation turns sour because two NFL teams did not give Flores a fair opportunity to present his case on why he deserved to be their head coach.
Denver Broncos general manager John Elway and president Joe Ellis acting uninterested during Flores’ interview in 2019 came back to haunt them.
"The reality is the NFL is a white owned league & nobody is gonna tell them how to run their teams.. Brian Flores fell on the sword & he's doing the right thing" ~@DariusJButler#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/sPBSnosNfb
— 🅿️at McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 2, 2022
The man they eventually hired, Vic Fangio, is out after a 19-30 record.
Former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is now in charge of the Broncos.
This incident did not happen once, thanks to the now-infamous text messages wrongfully sent to Flores by New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
The former Dolphins head coach must have felt insulted knowing that his upcoming interview with the New York Giants was all for show.
Worst, Hue Jackson and Marvin Lewis are also coming out to testify that such incidents happened even before Flores came out.
A bombshell lawsuit accuses the NFL of racism in hiring coaches — and now the former coach who filed it is speaking out for the first time on #CBSMornings.
Brian Flores says, “It’s hard to speak out…but this is bigger than football. This is bigger than coaching.” pic.twitter.com/hI92p8rvEd
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 2, 2022
That said, NFL teams must clean up their act because it may backfire through protests from players and sponsorship pullouts.
The league won’t do anything now that the federal court will unearth whether minority coaches are judged on higher standards.
For all their might, the NFL will file several motions to drag this case and win by attrition.
It’s time for the unjustly treated minorities to fight back.
They don’t want the league to suffer because all they want is a fair chance.
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