According to the USA TODAY, the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell are aiming to push the lawsuit spearheaded by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, along with two other Black coaches, into arbitration or outright dismissal.
NFL seeks to push Brian Flores' lawsuit into arbitration. https://t.co/cv7SiDTLtR
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) April 22, 2022
On Thursday, a letter was presented before a Manhattan federal judge where the NFL said it will ask that the claims of coach Brian Flores and two other individuals be forced into arbitration or be dismissed without a trial because they lack legal merit.
The Miami Dolphins fired Flores this January after a 24-25 record with the team. Shortly after the firing and subsequent job hunt, Flores alleged in his lawsuit that racist hiring practices by the NFL, particularly for coaches and general managers, show an ugly side of the league that is “rife with racism”. He has since been hired as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, the other two coaches listed in the lawsuit, were additions to the lawsuit in early April.
In the letter filed Thursday, the NFL's legal team made the argument that “Defendants have not discriminated against Plaintiffs (or the Black coaches and general managers they purport to represent) on the basis of their race, nor have Defendants retaliated against Mr. Flores for filing this lawsuit… Mr. Flores himself alleges that he was terminated by the Dolphins for reasons plainly unrelated to his race, including his alleged refusal to intentionally lose games or to violate NFL rules,”
An initial hearing on the lawsuit is set for April 29.
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