NEWSLETTER
Former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores alleging racist hiring policies in a lawsuit immediately shook things up in NFL circles today, leaving the league and a pair of its teams issuing public statements in the wake of the news.
With the Dolphins, Broncos, Giants, and NFL directly implicated in the lawsuit, the stream of statements was bound to follow:
The NFL has released a statement in response to Brian Flores’ claims, which it says “are without merit.” pic.twitter.com/97CbHXT6CJ
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 1, 2022
#Giants statement in response to Brian Flores’ allegations in the lawsuit he has filed. pic.twitter.com/MClyCkfVv0
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 1, 2022
Comment from @MiamiDolphins: pic.twitter.com/zRPrgGA5bB
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) February 1, 2022
http://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1488650527785238531
There will be much to sort from in the coming days, and I doubt this will go quietly into the night. Not when the NFL’s statement declares that Flores’ claims are without merit. Or when the Dolphins are vehemently denying allegations of racial discrimination just one month after firing Flores. Denver, on the same day it was announcing that it was putting the team up for sale, is also calling the claims “baseless” and “disparaging” in a statement.
And then there’s the Giants, who certainly won’t evade this story. Even if they publicly state they were taking Flores’ candidacy seriously before hiring whom they believed was the best coach, they are at the heart of this too.
In the end, I can’t help but read through all of this and feel for any other coaches who have similar experiences. Or wonder how many other NFL teams have practices that other candidates find to be discriminating. It feels as if this is just the beginning of a bigger story.
