You have to give Brian Flores a ton of credit for shining the light on what appears to be a gigantic flaw in the National Football League’s hiring practices.
Flores is the African American former coach of the Miami Dolphins who has filed a lawsuit against the NFL for racial discrimination. It all makes me go … wow!
The NFL’s player rosters comprise about 70% African Americans. Until just recently, the league had precisely one Black head coach, Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now it appears that the ranks of African American head coaches are swelling. The Dolphins hired Mike McDaniel as head coach and the Houston Texans reportedly are about to hire Lovie Smith as their new head coach.
Flores was denied a head coaching job after reportedly being told he had been hired. He got the message by mistake. The league operates on what is called the Rooney Rule, which mandates that teams must interview a certain percentage of African American coaching candidates. There is no requirement to hire an African American, but they are supposed to get an equal shot at these opportunities.
Flores doesn’t believe he got that equal opportunity. So he’s suing the league.
His lawsuit has opened up a gaping wound in the NFL’s coaching lineup. With only one Black head coach in a league that comprises a significant Black majority among its athletes, there must be some reform in the league’s hiring process. That is what Brian Flores appears to be accomplishing with this lawsuit.
I won’t comment on the merits of his complaint, because I know too little about it. I have this hunch that it won’t go to court and that the league is going to settle with Flores, likely paying the coach a hefty sum of money.
Meanwhile, I’d be willing to bet real American money that we’re going to see a lot of qualified African American coaches with well-paying jobs in the NFL … and it will happen real soon.