NEWSLETTER
This is truly wild stuff. I say that as both a football fan and a former lawyer – what has come together so quickly in this lawsuit, and how incredible the claims are … it’s truly wild. It’s really important, too, so I don’t want to lose sight of that in the wildness.
Former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is suing his former team, the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos, the NFL, and any other possible team that discriminated against him and others in the hiring process. More than that, he’s got receipts in the form of ACCIDENTAL TEXTS FROM BILL BELICHICK:
Brian Flores is suing the NFL over racial discrimination. The first page has a text message from Bill Belichick
Read the suit here: https://t.co/IIF6U7MTHN pic.twitter.com/XdoPnp7DY0
— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) February 1, 2022
Flores' suit includes texts from Bill Belichick that appear to show him congratulating him on getting the Giants job, mistakenly believing he was texting Brian Daboll. This was before Flores' interview with the Giants took place.
— Alex Weprin (@alexweprin) February 1, 2022
Belichick wasn't faking his technophobia pic.twitter.com/uidwpApkXg
— Kevin Cole (@KevinCole___) February 1, 2022
That is an all-timer right there. ALL-TIMER. I am almost without words for this story.
Setting aside the wildness, though, there is a very important case here: Brian Flores, one of the few Black coaches in the NFL, is alleging that he was fired by the Dolphins because he wouldn’t tank and wouldn’t do various things in violation of the anti-tampering rules, and is further alleging that his interview with the Giants (and a previous interview with the Broncos) was a mere sham to comply with the Rooney Rule.
Moreover, the lawsuit goes through the long history of racial divisions in the sport, and alleged discriminations, while proposing a class action for all similarly situated individuals. It is extensive, it is legitimate, and it is important. This lawsuit is going to have implications that range much wider than Flores’s individual case, and are going to take longer than this post to break down. I’m still digesting, to be honest. The full suit is here.
UPDATE – The NFL chimes in:
The NFL statement: https://t.co/P1MzblHDjC pic.twitter.com/8BkG0WNhjE
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 1, 2022
UPDATE – The Giants release a statement:
… “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.”
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) February 1, 2022
UPDATE 2: A statement from Brian Flores:
Flores cont, "…and has done so much for my family and me. My sincere hope is that by standing up against systemic racism in the NFL, others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come."
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 1, 2022
