Brian Flores goes nuclear on the Miami Dolphins and the NFL - 'Racist! Corrupt!'

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is suing three NFL teams and the league itself, which he claims “is racially segregated and is managed much like a plantation”.

Flores, who is Black, was surprisingly fired by the Dolphins last month despite leading the team to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2003. The lawsuit, which was filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, seeks unspecified damages.

In the lawsuit, Flores also depicts a Dolphins team with a troubling culture. He alleges he was offered a $100,000 bonus for every game his team lost during the 2019 season in order to secure a higher position in the 2020 NFL draft. When the team won games towards the end of the season, Flores says he was told Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was “mad” that the victories were “compromising [Miami’s] draft position.”

The suit also says Flores refused to recruit a “prominent quarterback” at the end of the 2019 season as it would have broken the league’s tampering rules. Flores says afterwards he was “treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with” and was subsequently cast as an “an angry Black man”.

Flores’s lawsuit claims the Giants interviewed him despite already knowing they would appoint an white candidate. As evidence Flores includes a text message from the New England Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick. In a text to Flores, Belichick congratulated him on getting the New York Giants job.

Belichick later texted: “Sorry – I ******* this up. I double checked and misread the text. I think they are naming Brian Daboll. I’m sorry about that.” Two days later Daboll was named the new Giants head coach.

“In certain critical ways, the NFL is racially segregated and is managed much like a plantation,’’ the lawsuit says. “Its 32 owners – none of whom are Black – profit substantially from the labor of NFL players, 70% of whom are Black. The owners watch the games from atop NFL stadiums in their luxury boxes, while their majority-Black workforce put their bodies on the line every Sunday, taking vicious hits and suffering debilitating injuries to their bodies and their brains while the NFL and its owners reap billions of dollars.”

"Its 32 owners – none of whom are Black"

why is this allowed?

the guardian capitalises black but not white lol

Ha ha, yes that was something all the left wing media decided after George Floyd

The capitalisation is in Flores' lawsuit, but agree it does stand out a bit.

Corruption and Racism in America? ........ I just can`t believe that

It's actually shaping up to be an interesting case with a lot of potential to shake things up. The NFL/teams mentioned could 'win' the case (or it gets dismissed) and the issue and allegations will just get louder as a result.

I expect there are other potential evidence-based cases sitting with other law firms at the moment...

"The capitalisation is in Flores' lawsuit, but agree it does stand out a bit. "

it's in other parts of the article too, not just the quote, it's a decision The Grauniad has made, some US media do it too

"It's actually shaping up to be an interesting case with a lot of potential to shake things up. "

are you serious mate? it sounds ridiculous. NFL owners are deliberately not hiring black coaches?

the NFL "is managed much like a plantataion"

how can you take this imbecile seriously?

These days, if you employ a black guy who gets poached by another team to be their head coach or general manager you get rewarded with two 3rd round draft picks. If you employ a white guy who gets poached by another team to be their head coach or general manager you get no reward

I'd rather just see all rules regarding race dropped. If teams are deliberately hiring worse coaches because of the colour of their skin then F em. Let the smartest teams win. For years the Patriots dynasty signed little white guys for nothing to play wide receiver and threw them 100 balls a season while the rest of the league thinks that if you're white then you can't run

“NFL players, 70% of whom are Black."

maybe we should have quotas for white players?

why is NFL player recruitment so racist?

Giuseppe, I have a different view on this from you - that's all. You genuinely don't need to try to belittle or mock me for that ("Are you serious mate?"). Just argue your point and we can all enjoy the discussion and debate.

the language used is ridiculous

the NFL “is racially segregated and is managed much like a plantation”.

he was cast as an “an angry Black man”.

how can you read that and not laugh?

what is an "angry black man" by the way?

A black man that is angry.

People should be hired on their ability. Not the colour of their skin or religious beliefs. Prejudice in all forms is evil and unacceptable but Unfortunately it still goes on in the 21st Century. That is why ETs keep us at a distance, because they see us as primitive.

also ETs possess more intelligence than to let themselves be jabbed over nothing

postpone that invasion..won't even be a fight..brainwashed,frightened,poisoned sheep

be the quickest KO in the history of the Universe!!

i keep hearing about the "stereotype" of the "angry black man" and the "angry black woman"

i had never heard of eitehr of these until a couple of years ago

What's your point, caller?

That because you weren't aware of these (supposed) stereotypes until relatively recently, they don't exist or aren't valid? That would be an interesting take on things although somewhat tricky for everyone who isn't actually you, Giuseppe.

We are pretty much all prone to disliking being put into "just-a-typical" categories ourselves, while at the same time using these kind of groupings to describe others and not appreciating when this is pointed out to us or objected to.

"Angry black man" is one of these tropes, along with "man-hating lesbian", "posh tory tw@t", "loony-left liberal", "tree-hugging hippy", "racist Trump supporter", "bigoted internet troll", and many many more. Some of them are fleeting, and some more enduring or endemic.

The purpose of using them is generally to try to dismiss an opinion that we don't hold or agree with, rather than having to consider or tolerate the disagreement, or give their different views any credibility.

Dealing with people by putting them into 'extreme', 'typical' or 'ridiculous' boxes is much more efficient and requires little brain-power. It is sometimes funny, often self-satisfying, and almost always disrespectful.

if i'm white, amn't i the one who is supposed to hold these stereotypes and prejudices?

angry black woman? i have never thought of black women as angry. who does?

"Dealing with people by putting them into 'extreme', 'typical' or 'ridiculous' boxes is much more efficient and requires little brain-power. It is sometimes funny, often self-satisfying, and almost always disrespectful."

you can't see the irony

this is exactly what this guy is doing

he is putting these white owners into a box and simplifying an issue

he is saying they hold prejudices

"Angry black man" is one of these tropes

i have only ever heard this phrase when it is used by black men claiming it exists

what does angry black man even mean for goodness sake?

i think black men are angrier than white men?

"almost always disrespectful"

is it disrespectful to NFL team owners to say they are racists who treat players like plantation slaves?

that is 100 times worse than anything i have said

the supposed angry black woman "trope" has been brought up repeatedly by Serena Williams apologists

when people complain about her threatening match officials with physical harm, that just reveals their own prejudices apparently

"We are pretty much all prone to disliking being put into "just-a-typical" categories ourselves, while at the same time using these kind of groupings to describe others and not appreciating when this is pointed out to us or objected to."

when did i put him into a "just-a-typical" categories ?

i said he was ridiculous and he is

he is putting these white owners into a box and simplifying an issue

he is saying they hold prejudices

Does he have a point though? 70% of the players are black and we know the overwhelming majority of the time coaches are former players. There were 3 black coaches this year, so from a pool of 70% of former players we get 10% of the coaches. Numbers prove nothing but I haven't heard a good reason for this discrepancy, do you have a theory?

I agree with therhino.

Giuseppe, at no point did I accuse you of using a racist stereotype, or thinking anything ill about black men (or women), or saying anything that put people into categories unfairly.

You brought up an issue/query around the "angry black man" trope and I just explored that concept.

(The only objection I raised towards you was when you replied to me with the "Are you serious mate?" comment, and I was explicit about that.)

I also agree with therhino for the record.

The NFL opted for an ill-advised absolute denial initially, having presumably taken 'reading the room' lessons from Yorkshire Cricket Club. The issue warrants a more considered response, whatever the ultimate response/action.

you guys aren't thinking this race quota stuff through, and are opening a can of worms

do you think NFL owners have some type of white supremacist agenda?

there aren't a lot of elite black coaches in any sport

most of the coaches in the NBA, which is about the blackest sport you can imagine, are white too

soccer is the same

there aren't a large number of black coaches, even in France

you can't say there is racism in soccer, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry were both lifted into jobs based on their status as players

how did Henry got the Montreal job after his performance at Monaco?

Gullit and Rijkaard were both gven big jobs, Rijkaard coached Barcelona for goodness sake

owners want to win, if they think a black coach can do the job they will hire them

French Ligue 1 and Ligue 2

40 clubs, Omar Daf (Sochaux) the only black coach

don't really follow college football

do they have many black coaches?

if there was a huge number of successful black coaches at college level and none in the NFL that would be an anomaly worth ivestigating

what is the pipeline for NFL head coaches?

high school >> college >> NFL?

are there lots of black coaches at any level?

CFL has one black coach maybe two out of nine, can't tell from teh photo

there are lots of black coaches in the NBA, just not as many as white coaches

surely this shows that the rich owners of sports teams will hire them under teh right circumstances

lots of clubs would take a punt on Drogba if he wanted to be a coach

you guys aren't thinking this race quota stuff through, and are opening a can of worms

Nobody called for a race quota. This is a thread about Brian Flores and the claims he has made based off his experiences and we are simply acknowledging the possibility he may have a point whereas you have simply labelled him ridiculous. I don't think anyone here thinks all owners are racist, are some? More than likely yes is the answer.

you are contradicting yourself

"we are simply acknowledging the possibility he may have a point "

yes based on the fact the number of black coaches doesn't match up to what it "should be" based on the fact "most coaches are former players" and most players are black

so what is the answer if not quotas

I don't think anyone here thinks all owners are racist, are some? More than likely yes is the answer.

some NFL owners are racist because the number of black coaches doesn't match up to what it "should be" based on the fact "most coaches are former players" and most players are black

what a simplistic way of viewing the world

why do NBA owners hire black coaches? are they a better class of human being? than NFL owners?

do you know anything about the number of black football coaches at high school or college level? are French soccer club woners racist too?

Giuseppe, no-one here has stated that there is definitely a problem, just that there might well be and it should be properly looked into.

This doesn't seem to be a bad thing or something that any reasonable person - even one who believes there isn't a problem - would be worried about or object to. Presumably, if there is no case to answer then an examination of the reality would only serve to clear up this misunderstanding and provide a clean bill of health to the NFL and its member teams.

Someone who is obstinately devoted to their own views and opinions might, however, find the idea of an independent or balanced review - the kind that might establish actual facts and take into account different people's experiences - somewhat threatening. They might even argue against it.

"Presumably, if there is no case to answer then an examination of the reality would only serve to clear up this misunderstanding and provide a clean bill of health to the NFL and its member teams."

you are very naive

do you think it is likely that any review would dare to provide "a clean bill of health"?

Ah, I see. In which case you must be right in your own assertions Giuseppe. And if anyone finds evidence that you are not, then the process must have been flawed. Genius! And also utter nonsense. Have you considered running for president?