NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke to reporters on a variety of topics Wednesday ahead of Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, but none was more anticipated than the topic pertaining to a lawsuit by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.
Flores alleged racial discrimination in the league’s hiring process, specifically including the Denver Broncos and New York Giants in his lawsuit filed last week. The league initially said Flores’ claims were without merit, but has since took a different tone on the matter.
Goodell did as much Wednesday, too.
“What we want to see is the outcome,” Goodell said at the SoFi Stadium, per Yahoo! Sports. “We want to see Black head coaches in the NFL and people of color and eventually gender, so it’s an inclusive process and hopefully an inclusive outcome.”
“We’re going to talk to other people — have independent people come in and look and help us evaluate it — because it’s sometimes hard to evaluate your own policies and procedures,” Goodell added. “And make sure that we’re doing everything that we possibly can to create that opportunity for everybody to make sure that we are an inclusive league and make sure we get the outcomes that we want.”
The Houston Texans hired Lovie Smith, a Black head coach, while the Dolphins hired Mike McDaniel, who is biracial, since Flores’ lawsuit was filed.
Another major aspect of Flores’ lawsuit included allegations that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wanted him to “tank,” or lose games on purpose, in order to receive a better draft position. Flores alleged that Ross offered him $100,000 per loss. Ross has denied those allegations.
“We are going to look into that,” Goodell said regarding the allegations on Ross. “We are going to make sure, if there are violations, they won’t be tolerated.”
Super Bowl LVI will be hosted at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday as the NFC champion Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals.
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