NFL Credibility Gap: Anti-Racism Slogans On NFL Stadium Fields and One Black NFL Coach
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Known for his legendary attention to detail, Bill Belichick clicked the wrong Brian in his cell phone when sending a text, and in doing so, created the content for a lawsuit that has dominated headlines and talk shows in America Wednesday.
The New England Patriots coach thought he was congratulating Brian Daboll for landing the New York Giants head coaching job when he sent a text last month.
Only one problem. Belichick actually sent the text to Brian Flores, who was about to interview for a job that Daboll had apparently already secured.
That text was a key element in Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL, New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins alleging racial discrimination.
Flores went ahead and participated in his job interview for the Giants’ head coach position late last month even though he knew Daboll already had the job.
The lawsuit included a bombshell allegation that Dolphins owner Steven Ross offered $100,000 to Flores for each team loss as a move to try and get a better draft selection.
The Dolphins said in response, “The implication that we acted in a manner inconsistent with the integrity of the game is incorrect.”
Flores appeared on the CBS Mornings TV show to discuss the lawsuit.
Flores, fired by the Dolphins after three seasons, said he felt a range of emotions about walking into the Giants head coach interview for a job that had already been decided. The NFL’s Rooney Rule from 19 years ago requires teams to interview a minority candidate for open head coach jobs and was later expanded to include general manager/front office positions.
“Humiliation, disbelief, anger — I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am in football, to become a head coach. Put 18 years in this league, and it was — to go on what was going to be a — what felt like or what was a sham interview, I was hurt,” he told CBS Mornings.
Here’s how the Giants saw it: “The fact of the matter is, Brian Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach.”
Flores’ lawsuit came on the first day of Black History Month and also just one day that Raiders owner Mark Davis introduced Josh McDaniels as head coach and Dave Ziegler as general manager. The former Patriots duo are both white and comes three months after former Raiders coach Jon Gruden resigned after his several of his private emails included racist, anti-day and sexist comments. It’s significant to note that Davis’ father — Al Davis — hired the first Black head coach in modern NFL history, Art Shell, in 1989 and the Raiders are known as one of the more progressive franchises in the league.
Flores hopes he can continue coaching, saying on the CBS show his morning, “I know there are others who have similar stories. It’s hard to speak out, it is. You’re giving up, you’re making sacrifices. But this is, again, this is bigger than football, bigger than coaching.”
He said the lawsuit was about creating change. “I think we’re at a fork in the road right now. We’re going keep it the way it is or go in another direction and make some change where we’re actually changing the hearts and minds of those who make decisions to hire head coaches, executives, etcetera. That’s what we’ve got to get to. We’ve got to change hearts and minds.”
