Brian Flores continues to put heat on Bill Belichick in lawsuit with NFL
By Mike Luciano
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have been roped into what could be one of the most impactful lawsuits in NFL history. Former Patriots assistant and Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who was fired despite a 19-14 record in the last two years, is suing the NFL and a handful of teams due to discriminatory hiring processes.
Among the many concerning statements in this lawsuit, including owner Stephen Ross offering to pay Flores $100,000 per game in order to lose on purpose to improvise draft position as well as John Elway allegedly showing up to an interview with Flores inebriated, Belichick is at the center of one of the most damning incidents.
While incorrectly assuming that he was texting Brian Daboll, who was recently named head coach of the New York Giants, Belichick may have let slip that John Mara had decided on hiring Daboll before even conducting an interview with Flores. The lawsuit claims Belichick’s influence over the Giants is even greater than previously believed.
Flores went so far as to claim that Belichick vouching for Daboll behind the scenes was a key factor in the Giants deciding to allegedly name him the de facto coach before the Flores interview. The Joe Judge hire shows that this franchise respects Belichick’s word and those around him, so it might not be a farfetched statement.
Brians Flores claims not only that Bill Belichick had advance knowledge of the Giants' decision to hire Brian Daboll but also that Belichick actually influenced the decision. https://t.co/vF6alSw6Nh
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 4, 2022
Brian Flores is going after New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
"“I think there are backchannel conversations and back-channel meetings that are had that oftentimes influence decisions,” Flores said. “I think [the Giants hiring process] is a clear example of that. Bill Belichick is a clear example of that…It was clear to me that decision was made with his influence. That’s part of the problem.”"
Flores, who is still being considered as a finalist for the Texans’ head coach position, has been quoted as saying that the need for the NFL to change their hiring process to increase diversity in coaching is “bigger than my personal goals.” Based purely on merit, Flores should have a job.
Respect to Brian Flores pic.twitter.com/ilOLrwXBO1
— PFF (@PFF) February 1, 2022
The Rooney Rule, which forces teams to interview minority candidates for coaching vacancies, was instituted when the league had three black coaches. Mike Tomlin, who is entering his 15th season and has one Super Bowl ring, is now the only black head coach in the league.
In fact, the league only has three minority head coaches in total if you include Ron Rivera and Robert Saleh. 49ers OC Mike McDaniel, who is biracial, could make that number increase by one if he replaces Flores in Miami.
Since Tomlin was hired in 2007, 13 different black head coaches have been hired, while Hue Jackson and Jim Caldwell received second chances during that span. None of them coached one single team for more than four seasons. Since 2011, only Caldwell, Todd Bowles, and Anthony Lynn have coached for more than three seasons.
When the diversity numbers look this bad, Flores is not breaking new ground with this lawsuit. Everyone can see that there is clearly a problem with the NFL’s hiring process. If it requires getting into a legal sparring match with Belichick to change it, that’s a risk Flores is willing to take.
