NFL Calls Brian Flores’s Lawsuit Alleging Racist Hiring ’Without Merit’ in Statement

Shortly after news broke of Brian Flores's class-action lawsuit against the NFL and three teams for racist hiring practices, the league released a statement asserting its commitment to diversity and called the former Dolphins coach's claims "without merit."

"The NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations," the statement read. "Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit."

Flores has sued the NFL along with three teams—the Dolphins, Broncos and Giants—for alleged discrimination in regard to his firing by Miami, a 2019 interview with Denver and an interview last month with New York. The lawsuit, which was submitted by Wigdor LLC to the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, claims that the Giants had already decided to hire Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll three days before their scheduled interview with Flores—which was revealed to Flores only after text messages mistakenly sent to him by Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

Flores also claims that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him a $100,000 bonus for each loss during the 2019 season, in which Ross apparently wanted to secure the league’s worst record and the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft. Flores says he didn’t comply with the request.

“In making the decision to file the class action complaint today, I understand that I may be risking coaching the game that I love and that has done so much for my family and me,” Flores said in a statement released Tuesday after filing the lawsuit. “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.”