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U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni ruled that
the NFL, the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Houston Texans
must face Flores' claims of systematic discrimination against
Black coaches in the league. Flores formerly served as head
coach of the Miami Dolphins.
The lawsuit seeks to force the NFL to make a series of changes,
incentivize teams to hire Black coaches and general managers,
and require them to explain hiring and termination decisions in
writing.
Caproni sent Flores' retaliation claim against the Dolphins to
private arbitration, along with claims by two other coaches who
joined Flores in the suit.
Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Flores, said in a statement he was
pleased that his client's claims of "systematic discrimination"
by the NFL would proceed to a jury but was disappointed that
other elements of the suit will now be arbitrated in-house by
the NFL.
"We look forward to pursuing all these claims to trial in their
various forums," Wigdor added.
A New York Giants spokesperson declined to comment.
Lawyers for the NFL and representatives of the other teams did
not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The NFL has denied claims of racial discrimination and said it
is committed to diversity and equitable employment practices.
Flores sued the NFL and its 32 teams in February 2022 after
being fired as head coach of the Dolphins, alleging systemic
discrimination against Black candidates for top coaching and
management jobs.
The league has argued the case should be dismissed because the
claims lacked merit, or be sent to arbitration pursuant to the
coaches' employment contracts.
(Reporting by Jack Queen; Editing by Will Dunham)
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