Pittsburgh Steelers Hire Brian Flores in NFL Litigation


Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who has sued 32 teams for allegedly discriminatory recruitment practices against the NFL and Black candidates, has been hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach, the team announced on Saturday.

“Given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL, I’m excited to have Brian Flores join our coaching staff,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement. release. “Brian’s résumé stands out and I look forward to adding his expertise to assist our team.”

Flores was fired by the Dolphins in January after leading the team to a 24-25 record in three seasons. on February 1st, filed suggested class action lawsuit He said he was being falsely interviewed on behalf of black coaching and general manager candidates, denied opportunities to lead teams, and given unequal employment terms and conditions.

Responding to the lawsuit, the NFL said it would “defend against these allegations that are unjustified.”

Flores’ attorneys, Douglas Wigdor and John Elefterakis, thanked Tomlin and the Steelers for what they called a “great opportunity” for Flores.

“As Coach Flores now focuses on his new position, he will continue his racial discrimination class action so that real change can be made in the NFL.”

Tomlin is one of three Black head coaches in the NFL, along with multiracial Mike McDaniel of the Dolphins and Lovie Smith of the Houston Texans, both of whom were recruited this month. NFLs Rooney RuleImplemented in 2003 to require teams to interview candidates of color for coaching and senior football manager positions. Flores’ case said the provision was well-intentioned, but “what is clear is that the Rooney Rule doesn’t work.”

Flores played defensive lineman and safety at Boston College, and one of his roles during his 11-year tenure with the New England Patriots was to coach defensive players while ascending to the line-up.

He will be working in Pittsburgh with Teryl Austin, who replaced Keith Butler as the team’s defensive coordinator earlier this month. Austin was one of the examples Flores cited in his case, describing him as a longtime assistant who “was never given a chance” to become a coach.





Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *