The Miami Dolphins owner, Stephen Ross, has been accused of bribing Brian Flores with a $10 million dollar check to get the guy fired. There’s also charges that he pressured him into violating NFL rules during games or have his contract voided.
The “Brian Flores” is a former Patriots assistant coach who has accused Dolphins owner Stephen Ross of bribing him to throw games and pressuring him to violate NFL rules in an explosive lawsuit. Read more in detail here: brian flores.
Brian Flores filed a class-action complaint against the NFL, the Miami Dolphins, the Denver Broncos, and the New York Giants on Tuesday afternoon, alleging racism in the hiring process. Flores claimed in his complaint that he was called in for “fake and illegitimate interviews” by the Broncos and Giants simply to comply with the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which mandates clubs to interview ethnic-minority applicants for vacant head coaching and senior football operations positions.
Flores also accused his former employer, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, of bribing him to tank for a better draft selection and pressing him to break the league’s tampering regulations.
In a high-profile case, Brian Flores accused Stephen Ross of paying him to throw games.
In class-action lawsuit, Brian Flores shines public light on his experiences as Black coach in NFL. He alleges sham head coach interviews, including with Giants last month, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offering him $100K per loss to tank in 2019, and more: https://t.co/FwWUH16GAy pic.twitter.com/uFN22wszm4
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) February 1, 2022
Flores recently completed his third season as the Dolphins’ head coach, and his second consecutive winning season. But it didn’t seem to be enough to keep him around.
Flores was dismissed by the Dolphins in January, perhaps the most surprising coaching change of the new offseason. Flores was depicted as a problematic coworker in subsequent reports, but the true perpetrator seems to be further up the chain of command.
Flores accused Ross of paying him to throw games in 2019 in exchange for the No. 1 overall draft selection in the complaint filed on Tuesday:
“Mr. Flores, who had been the Head Coach of Defendant Miami Dolphins, Ltd. (the ‘Dolphins’ or ‘Miami’) for three years, was let off in January 2022. After guiding the Dolphins to their first back-to-back winning seasons since 2003, he was dismissed. Poor teamwork was allegedly the reason for his dismissal. In actuality, the writing has been on the wall since Mr. Flores’ first season as the Dolphins’ head coach, when he resisted his owner’s order to ‘tank’ for the first overall choice in the draft. During the 2019 season, Miami’s owner, Stephen Ross, informed Mr. Flores that he would pay him $100,000 for every defeat, and the team’s General Manager, Chris Grier, told Mr. Flores that ‘Steve’ was’mad’ that Mr. Flores’ success in winning games that year was ‘compromiting [the team’s] draft position.’”
Despite Ross’ claimed demands, Flores guided the Dolphins to three victories in their last five games, and Miami was selected fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. Tua Tagovailoa was then taken by the Dolphins, while Joe Burrow was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals four choices earlier.
Ross allegedly encouraged Flores to contravene the NFL’s tampering regulations, according to Flores.
Before a game against the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and former head coach Brian Flores discuss | TNS/Miami Herald/David Santiago
According to the complaint, Ross not only offered Flores $100,000 per defeat in 2019, but he also pressed the head coach to break the NFL’s tampering regulations mere months later.
Mr. Ross started pressuring Mr. Flores to recruit a notable quarterback after the conclusion of the 2019 season, in violation of League tampering regulations, according to the complaint. “Mr. Flores frequently refused to follow these erroneous orders. Mr. Ross was undeterred, and in the winter of 2020, he asked Mr. Flores to lunch on a boat. Mr. Ross informed Mr. Flores shortly after his arrival that the well-known quarterback was ‘conveniently’ arriving at the marina. Mr. Ross had obviously sought to’set up’ an ostensibly unplanned encounter between Mr. Flores and the well-known quarterback. Mr. Flores declined the meeting and quickly departed the boat.”
Flores was “treated with contempt” and wrongfully sacked, according to the complaint, because he repeatedly refused to obey Ross’ directions.
“Mr. Flores was shunned and eventually dismissed from that point forward.” He was then slandered in the media and around the league after the Dolphins brass described him as tough to deal with. This reflects the all-too-familiar ‘angry black man’ label that is often applied to Black men with strong values and beliefs, whereas white men are labeled as passionate for the same qualities.”
Flores is aware that his coaching career may now be jeopardized, but he is unfazed.
Putting his career on the line for a critical change
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Aside from the charges against Ross and the Dolphins, the complaint claims that ex-Broncos general manager John Elway, Broncos President and CEO Joe Ellis, and others arrived an hour late and “appeared absolutely unkempt” after “drinking hard the night before” for a 2019 interview with Flores. Furthermore, according to reported messages from Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots, the Giants had already decided to appoint Brian Daboll as their new head coach before ever interviewing Flores.
At its foundation, the Rooney Rule is beneficial and important, but this case shows that clubs are abusing the system just to check a box. Flores is striving to alter this, despite the fact that he knows it would cost him his job.
“God has 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.
“I recognize that by filing the class action case today, I may jeopardize my ability to teach the game that I like and that has provided so much for my family and myself.” My earnest goal is that by speaking out against institutional racism in the NFL, others will join me in making lasting change for future generations.”
Ross, not Flores, should be removed from the NFL as a result of these claims.
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RELATED: NFL Analyst Chris Simms says the Miami Dolphins’ abrupt firing of Brian Flores “smells fishy.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Flores suing the Dolphins?
A: Flores is suing the Miami Dolphins for giving him a below-market contract.
What is Brian Flores suing for?
A: Brian Flores is suing for the rights to a song recorded by his band, Beach Fossils. The original owner of this song, SONGS Music Publishing has refused to hand over copyright due to their claim that they are still owed royalties from songs on which they hold publishing.
Why is Flores suing the NFL?
A: Flores is a former NFL player who filed a lawsuit against the league claiming that he was injured during his tenure in the league. Its hard to say exactly what happened because there are so many layers of complications with this case, but it seems like he feels as though the NFL violated some sort of duty or responsibility to him.
