It appears America’s premier sports entity — the National Football League (NFL) — has once again shown a severe allergic reaction to integrity.
They may have gotten off easy in the legal fiasco involving the city of St. Louis (settled out of court for a fraction of what experts predicted the case was potentially worth), but Brian Flores’ bombshell allegations could spiral into a trickle-down nightmare for a league that has shown a propensity to repeatedly shoot themselves in their crusty-ass feet.
Flores’ Lawyered Up
Doug Wigdor Leading the Weinstein Class-Action Suit (Photo: Wigdor Law)
Noted law firm Wigdor LLP, with proven success in several high-profile cases such as the Harvey Weinstein debacle, is in Flores’ corner as he tries to invoke change for Black Americans with the NFL’s hiring process.
The class-action suit initiated by the former Miami Dolphins HC contends the hiring process is simply window dressing to satisfy the NFL’s 2003 Rooney Rule, which requires teams in the market to fill senior football operation positions to interview a quota of external minority candidates.
As the lawsuit permeates throughout the sports world, Flores’ is still in deep contention for at least two head jobs in the NFL. Nonetheless, he remains steadfast that he will not dismiss the suit as this plight "isn’t about me. It’s bigger than football. This is about equal opportunity for qualified Black candidates — not just in football but everywhere, in all industries," he told ESPN’s Get Up.
The Belichick Factor
You’ve probably seen the kick-in-nutsack texts revealed by Flores’ law team that alleges Bill Belichick somehow knew that the other Brian (Daboll) had already been selected as the next NY Giants HC — despite Flores’ still having an interview scheduled.
Some take the texts at face value, but we contend the old curmudgeon knew exactly what he was doing when composing the messages.
Belichick, still scorned by the bitterly embarrassing and lengthy "Deflategate" and "Spygate" investigations, saw an opportunity for payback. With Brady retired and BB’s career winding down; he pounced:
Whatever the case, the texts hit Brian Flores hard: "Disbelief. Humiliation. That was a tough pill to swallow," Flores said of his reaction to Belichick’s messages. "I have a great amount of respect for Bill and Brian Daboll. … I was upset that I wasn’t getting a true opportunity to show what I can bring to a team."
"Those text messages confirmed what a lot of us minority coaches already feel," he said. "That we’re going into these interviews, and they’re shams."
$100k a Game to Tank?
Brian Flores with Stephen Ross (Photo: NationWorldNews)
Brian Flores’ seems like an above-board guy and his assertions fit the MO of a league which has been shown to be devoid of ethics in adhering to policy matters. However, the alleged despicable conduct of Miami Dolphin’s owner Stephen Ross deserves the utmost scrutiny from the millions of sports bettors pumping billions into the pool while expecting legit, unfettered outcomes.
Not only did Ross supposedly court Flores to violate rules by illegally recruiting a top NFL QB (stop the b*llshit, we all know it was Tom Brady), but of more paramount importance, he apparently offered Flores $100k a game to tank, so the Dolphins could secure the #1 pick in the draft.
We know Flores would have none of it as his team won 5 games that season. In fact, he brought his guys out of the tunnel to play each and every week:
The Dolphins were profitable (above .500 ATS W pct) in all 3 years under Brian Flores:
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) February 1, 2022
2019: 5-11 (9-7 ATS)
2020: 10-6 (11-5 ATS, 68.8% cover pct was best in NFL)
2021: 9-8 (9-7-1 ATS)
Good teams win. Great teams cover. If only records spoke for themselves.
At the risk of blackballing his career, Brian Flores is showing incredible moxie in fighting for something he truly believes will make a difference for Blacks — not just in the NFL, but in other professional hiring environments as well:
"God had gifted me with a special talent to coach the game of football, but the need for change is bigger than my personal goals," Flores said in a statement;"In making the decision to file the (complaint), I understand that I may be risking coaching the game that I love and that has done so much for my family and me. My sincere hope is that by standing up against systemic racism in the NFL, others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come."
The lawsuit filed by Brian Flores is as courageous and, in my opinion, as necessary an action that I can remember in covering 50 years of sports. https://t.co/t42mvexgfo
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) February 1, 2022
The NFL’s response: In yet another display of predictable, utter hubris, the NFL hastily called the lawsuit "without merit." They said the same thing about the St. Louis legal battle and proceeded to get clocked at every hearing along the way — eventually agreeing to a settlement that approached four-fifths of a billion dollars.
Considering the scope of the allegations, one can only wonder how many other owners or those connected to various teams have crossed these lines as well? The suit alleges that Wigdor LLP has input from other NFL coaches who have similar tanking incentives offered under their watch.
Stay tuned!
This purported scandalous, ugly, disturbing and unacceptable conduct by an NFL team (and its ownership) must be dealt with in an exemplary manner. As ‘Mort‘ states, the time has come for real change, and frankly, we agree.
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| Title: Flores’ Groundbreaking Lawsuit, Belichick Texts Create Yet Another Sh*t Storm for the NFL
| Author: Steven Miller
| Date: Feb 7, 2022