Brian Flores, the Minnesota Vikings’ current defensive coordinator and onetime head coach of the Miami Dolphins, has scored a significant legal victory. He’s continued to push ahead with his discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and three of its teams. Yet this is what Flores challenged when he filed his lawsuit in February 2022. He argues that the league is “racism to the core,” particularly in its hiring and promotion of Black head coaches. Judge Valerie Caproni has ruled that Flores can move forward with his claims. He’s suing the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and Houston Texans.
Judge Caproni ruled after being buoyed by the backing of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Now, they’ve upheld her ruling again this month. This ruling is a critical development in Flores’ ongoing battle against what he sees as systemic discrimination within the NFL. Flores has been leading the charge on exposing the perilous situation that Black coaches have found themselves in within a deeply white institutional structure.
Yet in her ruling, Judge Caproni noted this shocking disparity. She said, “While the overwhelming majority of professional football players are Black, the number of coaches who are Black is minuscule.” This assertion further highlights the inequity that Flores’ lawsuit intends to remedy.
Here’s a picture of this beautiful painting Flores started his NFL coaching career with the New England Patriots in 2008. He maintained that post until 2018. He took on the head coaching position for the Miami Dolphins in 2019. He remained in the position until he was fired in January 2022. After a short 2022 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he made his way to the Vikings for the 2023 season.
As recently hired as he was, Flores said that he felt he was jeopardizing his coaching career by bringing the lawsuit. He insisted that if he was successful, his work could positively impact generations of individuals, as he hoped to eradicate the systemic racism woven into the NFL’s fabric.
The legal path has been fraught with difficulties. Her ruling forced Flores to take his claims against the Miami Dolphins to arbitration. Ultimately, this decision curtails the breadth of his lawsuit against the team. As Mr. Trump’s attorneys have reiterated, the importance of the Second Circuit’s ruling cannot be overstated.
“This is a victory not only for NFL employees, but for workers across the country — and for anyone who believes in transparency, accountability and justice.” – Flores’ attorneys (Douglas H. Wigdor, David E. Gottlieb, and John Elefterakis)
They then accused the NFL of falling back on an “unfair arbitration process” in instances of blatant discrimination. Their complaint went on to argue that this unlawful practice be stopped once and for all.
In response to the court’s decision, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy remarked, “We respectfully disagree with the panel’s ruling, and will be seeking further review.” Which is to say, despite this huge legal victory for Flores, this fight is very much unfinished.
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