Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has been hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an assistant coach.
Wilfredo Lee / AP
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Wilfredo Lee / AP
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has been hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an assistant coach.
Wilfredo Lee / AP
Brian Flores, who has filed a racism lawsuit against the NFL and three of its teams, has been named a senior defensive assistant and defense coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I’m excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff because of his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in statement. “Brian’s resume speaks for itself and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team.”
Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins for three seasons starting in 2019, leading them to a 24-25 record. The Dolphins fired Flores when he had two years left on his contract, a surprise to many as Flores had won the record in the previous two seasons. Flores was previously a longtime assistant coach for the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick.
Steelers’ Tomlin is currently the NFL’s only black head coach, after Flores and Houston Texans coach David Culley. Fired last month.
As NPR has reportFlores said in his lawsuit that the NFL is managed “like a plantation,” and its 32 owners, none of whom are black, profit from the players’ labor – 70% among them are blacks. He is seeking compensation and punishment for the league’s other black head coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators, quarterback coaches and general manager, as well as candidates. African-American staff for those positions.
The lawsuit also alleges that the NFL and its teams violated federal and state laws in New York and New Jersey.
Flores has alleged that the Dolphins owner offered him $100,000 for every loss in his first season, urging him to improve the team’s record to get a better draft pick. . He also said he underwent mock interviews for the coaching job, in which teams interviewed him only to comply with NFL policy requiring teams to interview candidates of color for majors. leadership and senior executive roles.
That policy is known as the Rooney Rule, named after the late owner of the Steelers, Dan Rooney.
NFL has to rent former Attorney General Loretta Lynch to defend the union in the lawsuit.
In an interview earlier this month with NPR’s Limit with Jay WilliamsFlores said he feels the lawsuit is a necessary sacrifice.
“This isn’t about me. This is about something a lot bigger than me, it’s a system in the NFL that has, in my opinion, broken down when it comes to recruiting practices for coaches. black members and minorities and minorities in general,” he said.
Flores said he learned in a text message to Belichick that the Giants had decided to hire someone else as their new coach, even before Flores did his final interview for the position.
“The interviews for Blacks and minorities are happening, where we don’t get a real opportunity in those interviews to showcase our abilities,” Flores said. “To walk into an interview when a decision has been made, that’s a great moment for me.”
Flores’ attorneys, Douglas H. Wigdor and John Elefterakis, said his legal battle would continue.
“We congratulate Coach Flores on his new role with the Steelers and thank Coach Tomlin and the organization for giving him this amazing opportunity,” the attorneys said in a statement. declare. “While Coach Flores is currently focused on his new position, he will continue with his class-action lawsuit over racism so he can make real change in the NFL.”
