Brian Flores, the former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and its 32 teams Tuesday, alleging racial discrimination throughout the league’s hiring process.
The NFL issued a response Tuesday evening denying Flores’ allegations while referring to them as “without merit.”
“The NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations,” the statement read. “Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit.”
Flores, who was surprisingly fired by the Dolphins after Miami failed to miss the postseason, alleges the New York Giants recently brought him in for an interview strictly because of the Rooney Rule, despite already knowing Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll would receive the position.
Flores received that intel because New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick texted Flores to congratulate him for receiving the job while actually meaning to send the text to Daboll. Belichick’s text was sent days before Flores interviewed for the Giants position, which took place Thursday. New York officially hired Daboll on Friday.
You can read more about additional allegations from Flores here.
