NEW YORK — Former U.S. attorney General Loretta Lynch has been hired by the NFL to represent it and its players in the case against Brian Flores for race discrimination.
Lynch, who is the attorney general for the second half of the Obama administration, will be working with Brad Karp, chairman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison. Karp worked previously for the league in concussion case cases.
Flores, who was Black, was fired Miami’sDespite back-to-back winning years, he was appointed coach last month. He named the league and the three teams — the Dolphins. Denver Broncos New York GiantsIn a class-action lawsuit earlier this monthAllegation of unfair hiring practices by the NFL
The league stated that it would defend itself against the claims it considered “without merit” after the lawsuit was filed. Flores was also denied by the Dolphins Broncos and Giants.
Soon after, Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, issued a memo advising the 32 clubs that he stated:
“We are sensitive to the concerns of coach Flores, and other coaches. … While the legal process is moving forward, we will not hesitate to reassess our strategies and make changes to ensure they are in line with our longstanding commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
When Goodell was asked about diversity in NFL and Flores’ cases, he frequently replied:
“We won’t tolerate racism. We will not tolerate discrimination. All of these allegations were made against us, regardless of whether they were racist, discriminatory, or against the integrity of our games. They are very serious matters for us at all levels. We need to get to the bottom.
Flores refers to a string text message exchange with Patriots coach Bill Belichick just three days prior to his scheduled interview for the Giants head coaching job. Flores believed that Brian Daboll had already been selected as his new coach after reading those texts.
Flores stated that it was embarrassing to be honest. “There was disbelief, anger, and a wave emotion for many reasons,” Flores stated.
This offseason, there were nine openings for head coaches. Two of them went to minorities: Mike McDaniel (who replaced Flores in Miami) and Lovie Smith (who is African American and took over from David Culley who was also Black). Five of the five minority head coaches are now Black. Black players make up more than 70% of the NFL’s players.
Flores claims in the lawsuit that Stephen Ross, the Dolphins’ owner, offered Flores $100,000 for each loss during his first season (2019), because he wanted the club “to tank” to get the top pick in the draft.