Brian Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and its 32 teams, but specifically alleged a few franchises of various wrongdoings.
The recently-fired Miami coach alleged Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him money to lose games and encouraged him to tamper for Tom Brady. Flores also accused the New York Giants of discrimination after bringing him in for an interview only to satisfy the Rooney Rule.
Similarly, the Denver Broncos are listed in the lawsuit for their hiring process. Flores alleged that while he was an assistant with the New England Patriots, two executives from the Broncos, including John Elway, appeared hungover when they showed up late for his interview.
The Broncos, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter, released a statement calling the accusations “blatantly false,” denying some of Flores’ account.
Here’s part of the statement:
Our interview with Mr. Flores regarding our head coaching position began promptly at the scheduled tine of 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2019, in a Providence, RI hotel. There were five Broncos executives present for the interview, which lasted approximately three-and-a-half hours–the fully allotted time–and concluded shortly before 11 a.m.
Pages of detailed notes, analysis and evaluations from our interview demonstrate the depth of our conversation and sincere interest in Mr. Flores as a head coaching candidate.
Our process was thorough and fair to determine the most qualified candidate for our head coaching position. The Broncos will vigorously defend the integrity and values of our organization–and its employees–from such baseless and disparaging claims.
The NFL responded as well, calling Flores’ allegations “without merit.” You can read NESN’s full breakdown of the class-action suit here.
