*A bombshell lawsuit accuses the NFL of racism in hiring coaches — and now former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores who filed it is speaking out for the first time on CBS MORNINGS.
Flores was joined by his attorneys Doug Wigdor and John Elefterakis to talk about his race discrimination lawsuit against the NFL. The NFL says the claims are “without merit” and that it is “deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices.”
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB: Brian Flores Sues NFL, Giants, Dolphins Over ‘Racism in Hiring’
Excerpts:
– Brian Flores on walking into his interview with the NY Giants when, he says, a decision had already been made: “It was a range of emotions. Humiliation, disbelief, anger — I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am in football, to become a head coach. Put 18 years in this league, and it was — to go on what was going to be a — what felt like or what was a sham interview, I was hurt.” The Giants said they “interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates. The fact of the matter is, Brian Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach.”
– Attorney Doug Wigdor :”[Brian] knew he wasn’t getting that job on the day before that Giants interview — we reached out to you, CBS, to all of you, to start talking about doing this interview today because we knew he wasn’t getting the job. We knew it was a setup. We knew they were just trying to comply with the Rooney rule. We started drafting the complaint and here we are.”
– Brian Flores on claims Miami Dolphins owner Steven Ross offered $100,000 for each team loss: “This game’s done a lot for me. I grew up not far from here in the projects in Brownsville, Brooklyn. I didn’t grow up with a lot. This game, you know, changed my life. So to attack the integrity of the game, that’s what I felt was happening in that instance. And I wouldn’t stand for it….I think it hurt my standing within the organization and ultimately was the reason why I was let go.” The Dolphins “vehemently deny any allegations of racial discrimination” and say that “the implication that we acted in a manner inconsistent with the integrity of the game is incorrect.”
– Brian Flores: “We filed the lawsuit so that we could create some change. And that’s important to me. I think we’re at a fork in the road right now. We’re going keep it the way it is or go in another direction and make some change where we’re actually changing the hearts and minds of those who make decisions to hire head coaches, executives, etcetera. That’s what we’ve got to get to. We’ve got to change hearts and minds.”
– Brian Flores on if he still wants to coach: “I absolutely want to coach in this league. But I also know that this isn’t — I’m not the only story here. I’m not the only one with a story to tell…. I know there are others who have similar stories. It’s hard to speak out, it is. You’re giving up, you’re making sacrifices. But this is, again, this is bigger than football, bigger than coaching.”
source: CBS Mornings
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