By Jeffrey Kafka Jr and Camilla Bracamonte

Ex Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores has filed a lawsuit against the NFL on the fact of Racial Discrimination during the process of hiring new coaches in the NFL. Brian Flores said that he felt “the decision has already been made” before he even walked into the room for an interview. This monumental case led to the Texans hiring Lovie Smith instead of him; the Texans even came out to say that they passed on Flores because of the NFL Lawsuit. Flores came out and said, “If I never coach again but there’s a significant change, it’ll be worth it.”

Right after this case broke the news, multiple people went to Twitter and stated that he was only doing this for attention because he got fired from the Dolphins’ head coaching job. People are also arguing that he is tarnishing the reputation of the NFL, with his goal being to slander them for money or politics.

This is a typical case of character assassination: someone is attempting to make a change in a large institution, and their character is being not only questioned, but dragged through the mud for doing so. Brian Flores is calling out red flags in the league’s hiring process. The NFL’s coaches are historically white. From 2012 to 2021, there were 62 head coaching hires in the league, 51 of those jobs (82%) went to white men while 11 went to men of color. These statistics point to a problem in the hiring process. The league has created policies such as the “Rooney Rule” which requires teams searching for a head coach to interview at least one minority candidate. This is a step in the right direction, but there are still deeper underlying problems in the NFL.

Brian Flores had a great season with the Dolphins; They went on a 6-game win streak and almost made it into the playoffs with a 9 and 8 record in a difficult division, coming off a rebuild with young quarterback and star players. Then he was fired, which took many to surprise. Flores claims that the Dolphins fired him out of a combination of discrimination and punishment for refusing to engage in misconduct on behalf of the team owner. To this, the Dolphins owner responded, “With regards to the allegations being made by Brian Flores, I am a man of honor and integrity and cannot let them stand without responding. I take great personal exception to these malicious attacks, and the truth must be known. His allegations are false, malicious, and defamatory. We understand there are media reports stating that the NFL intends to investigate his claims, and we will cooperate fully. I welcome that investigation and I am eager to defend my personal integrity, and the integrity and values of the entire Miami Dolphins organization, from these baseless, unfair and disparaging claims.”

The key part of this statement is: “His allegations are false, malicious, and defamatory.” Through this remark, he is discrediting Brian’s stance on the matter, fabricating his motivations while simultaneously defending himself. Right now, Brian Flores is unemployed and fighting for a job in football. Early in 2022, the case was still under investigation as Brian Flores was fighting an uphill battle while facing character attacks along the way.