Under the ‘Influence?’ — Belichick’s Role in Flores-Giants Interview Process Called Into Question

Nearly everyone has made the mistake of sending a text message which they’d like to retract. Messages are sent to the wrong recipients all the time, and mostly without consequence.

However, for New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, an inadvertent sending of a text message to a former colleague may have ignited a league-wide firestorm. In the process, it also may have placed the longtime Pats head coach at the center of it.

Former New England Patriots defensive assistant, and most recently ex-Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and its 32 franchises, alleging the active presence of racist hiring practices throughout the league.The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday by Wigdor LLC to the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, was precipitated by Flores’ recent experience with the New York Giants’ interview process.

In the lawsuit, Flores says that Belichick accidentally informed him, via text message, that the Giants had already chosen Daboll. In the chain of text messages between Flores and Belichick, the Pats head coach mistakenly congratulates Flores instead of Daboll on getting the Giants job. The exchange of texts between the former colleagues occurred three days before Flores was set to interview for the position. Daboll, like Flores, was also a former Belichick assistant.

While seeming the result of unfortunate happenstance, Flores seems to believe that Belichick may actually have had a hand in that decision.

Speaking on NPR’s “The Limits” podcast, Flores said it’s “clear” the Giants’ choice to hire Daboll as their next head coach “was made with (Belichick’s) influence.”

“I think there are back-channel conversations and back-channel meetings that are had that oftentimes influence decisions,” Flores said, as transcribed by ProFootballTalk. “I think (the Giants’ hiring process) is a clear example of that. Bill Belichick is a clear example of that. His résumé speaks to that. It was clear to me that decision was made with his influence. That’s part of the problem. That needs to change. There needs to be a fair and equal opportunity to interview and showcase your abilities to lead and earn one of those positions.”

Daboll most recently served as offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills, a division rival that routed the Patriots out of the playoffs last month. His leaving the AFC East benefits New England, Whie some might see that as a clear motive for Belichick to advocate for Daboll’s hiring, it should be noted that New England also struggled against the Dolphins in the years in which they were coached by Flores.

Despite the potentially inflammatory nature of his comments, Flores has spoken highly about his 15 seasons in New England. In fact, he was quoted as saying this week that he has “nothing but good memories there.” Still, his implying that Belichick may have used his connections to the Giants to sway their decision May Planck some strain on a previously solid relationship between the two.

As for the Giants, they have vehemently denied any link between Belichick and their hiring process, saying it was “irresponsible” to draw conclusions based on his text messages.

“The allegation that the Giants’ decision had been made prior to Friday evening, January 28, is false,” the team said Thursday in a statement. “And to base that allegation on a text exchange with Bill Belichick in which he ultimately states that he ‘thinks’ Brian Daboll would get the job is irresponsible. The text exchange occurred the day before Coach Daboll’s in-person interview even took place. Giants’ ownership would never hire a head coach based only on a 20-minute Zoom interview, which is all that Mr. Daboll had at that point.”

The Giants were also quick to disavow any connection to Belichick knowing the nature of their decision before it was formally announced.

“In addition, Mr. Belichick does not speak for and has no affiliation with the Giants. Mr. Belichick’s text exchange provides no insight into what actually transpired during our head coaching search.”

To date, neither Belichick, nor the Patriots have issued comments on the issue or addressed the lawsuit.