The New York Giants are supposed to be celebrating the hiring of Brian Daboll as head coach after what seemed like a long and wide-ranging process.
Instead, the team is now facing a lawsuit from one of the other candidates.
The entire story is continuing to develop and is unique in nature.
The basis is that Bill Belichick texted Brian Flores, thinking it was Daboll.
He ended up revealing three days before Flores’ interview that Daboll had the job locked up.
Thus, Flores is suing the Giants and the NFL for racial discrimination, claiming he was interviewed just to satisfy Rooney Rule requirements.
The lawsuit itself also has claims about the Miami Dolphins, but for now let’s focus on the Giants.
The new front office led by Joe Schoen is facing serious allegations and responded with a denial.
#Giants statement in response to Brian Flores’ allegations in the lawsuit he has filed. pic.twitter.com/MClyCkfVv0
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 1, 2022
“We are pleased and confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Daboll. We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates. The fact of the matter is, Brian Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach.”
This situation is a complex one and Flores’ suit may continue on while he lands a job with another team.
Giants Deny Any Wrongdoing
Belichick’s texts are the basis of the lawsuit.
An argument in favor of the Giants could be that the team was favoring Daboll, but still wanted to check in on Flores just in case.
Former Miami HC Brian Flores is suing the NFL, the Giants, the Dolphins and the Broncos for alleged “racism in hiring”, and he includes texts from Patriots’ HC Bill Belichick in the suit as evidence. Lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court seeking unspecified damages from NFL.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 1, 2022
Schoen and Daboll have the Buffalo connection, so the fit made sense.
Yet the existence of the Rooney Rule and the late Flores interview do draw the team’s motives into question.
This is a serious matter and one that may finally add real fairness to the NFL’s hiring process.
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