How Brian Flores’s Lawsuit Reached the Supreme Court and Will Now Proceed to Trial

Brian Flores’s discrimination lawsuit filed against the NFL is heading to trial.

In a ruling on Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined the league’s appeal and will allow the case to proceed in open court in New York. The NFL had reportedly argued that Flores’s claims should be handled through arbitration rather than the legal system, but the justices have decided not to intervene.

Flores, the former Dolphins head coach from 2019 to ’21 and current Vikings defensive coordinator, first filed in February of ’22—less than a month after his firing in Miami. In the suit, the longtime defensive coach accused the NFL—as well as the Dolphins, Giants and Broncos—of discriminatory hiring practices tied to the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which was established in 2003 to increase diversity in leadership across the sport, while describing the league as “rife with racism.”

To understand how the case has reached the point of being heard in front of a judge, here’s a timeline of events and key developments.

Brian Flores lawsuit timeline: How case reached Supreme Court and will now proceed to trial

Jan. 10, 2022: Flores is fired by the Dolphins

Flores was hired as the Dolphins’ head coach in 2019 after previously spending his entire 11-year NFL coaching career with the Patriots. After three seasons—including consecutive winning campaigns in 2020 and ’21—however, he was fired.

It has since been reported that, before parting ways with Flores, Dolphins team owner Stephen Ross was pursuing Sean Payton to be the club’s next coach and Tom Brady to be their next quarterback. The team was eventually investigated for and found guilty of tampering, resulting in fines and being stripped of several draft picks, including their first-rounder in 2023..

Feb. 1, 2022: Flores files class-action suit against NFL, three teams

After throwing his hat back into the proverbial head coaching ring to no avail, Flores filed a class-action suit against the league and three of its teams on Feb. 1. The suit alleged, in part, that Flores received a text message from Bill Belichick mistakenly congratulating him on receiving the Giants’ head coaching job days before his interview had even taken place. Belichick later clarified that it was Brian Daboll—not Flores—whom he had heard landed the gig, effectively suggesting that New York had already decided on its next head coach before interviewing minority candidates.

Additionally, Flores alleged that while interviewing for the Broncos’ head coaching position in 2019, then general manager John Elway and other members of Denver’s front office arrived an hour late to their meeting and appeared hungover. He also claims that during his time as head coach of the Dolphins, Ross pressured him to intentionally lose games for better draft positioning and encouraged tampering with players ahead of free agency. Flores alleged that his firing stemmed from his refusal to comply with Ross.

Feb. 19, 2022: Steelers hire Flores as senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach

Despite being in the middle of said lawsuit, Flores was hired by the Steelers weeks later as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach. In his lone season in Pittsburgh, the Steelers were a top-10 defense in terms of points per game allowed (20.4) and turnover differential (plus-4) while leading the NFL in interceptions (20).

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who is Black, said at the time: “I wanted to stay close to Brian when his legal issues started. I just didn’t want him to feel like he was on an island. I think from a coaching fraternity standpoint, I owed him that. I was in a position to provide that. I think that started our interactions and conversations. Over the course of those discussions, particularly when it became evident that he was not going to get a head job, I think the natural discussion began and it really ran its course rather quickly, to be quite honest with you. It doesn’t require a lot of time to come to the realization that you could use a Brian Flores on your staff.”

April 8, 2022: Former Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks, longtime NFL assistant Ray Horton join lawsuit

Months after the lawsuit was initially filed, former NFL coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton joined Flores’s case, alleging similar discriminatory hiring practices.

Wilks claimed that the Cardinals hired him in 2018 as simply a “bridge coach” before firing him after just one season, while Horton alleged that the Titans didn’t offer him a genuine interview while speaking to them about their head coaching position in 2016.

Feb. 6, 2023: Vikings hire Flores as defensive coordinator

Flores was hired by the Vikings as their defensive coordinator in 2023—replacing Ed Donatell—After a successful stint with the Steelers the previous season.

Flores has since helped Minnesota’s defense to two consecutive top-10 finishes in points per game allowed and sacks, a league-leading 33 takeaways in 2023, and has further developed a blitz-happy scheme that keeps offensive coordinators up at night.

March 1, 2023: Judge grants NFL’s motion to hear specific claims under league-led arbitration

While the suit is now set to be heard in open court, some specific claims—notably Flores’s against the Dolphins—will be allowed to be handled in arbitration, as ruled by U.S. District Court Judge Valerie E. Caprou.

May 19, 2026: Flores’s lawyers serve subpoenas to 25 NFL teams

Fast-forward to 2026, and according to ESPN’s Kris Rhim, court filings show that Flores’s lawyers recently served subpoenas to 25 teams—as well as more than 1,000 discovery requests—in order to obtain “league-wide hiring records and communications” related to discrimination.

Given that the suit had already named the Dolphins, Giants, Broncos, Texans, Titans and Cardinals, Flores and his legal team have now served subpoenas to 31 NFL teams, excluding only the Vikings—his current employer.

May 26, 2026: Supreme Court refuses to intervene in Flores’s lawsuit vs. NFL

The U.S. Supreme Court has now officially ruled that the case will be heard in open court in New York. According to the Associated Press, David Gottlieb and Douglas Wigdor—attorneys for the plaintiffs—were pleased with the decision, stating, “The NFL must now accept that its commissioner cannot be the arbitrator over discrimination claims against the league and its teams. We look forward to litigating these claims in court.”

According to USA Today, the NFL will now have a chance to file a motion to dismiss the case by June 5, while briefs are due from Flores’s side by July 20, and the NFL by Aug. 19.

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