UNDATED (AP) — Broncos president of football operations John Elway is disputing Brian Flores’ contention that his interview for Denver’s head coaching vacancy in 2019 was a sham and only conducted to meet the league’s Rooney Rule requirement.
Elway says he seriously considered Flores for the job. He also disputes Flores’ contention that he appeared to be hung over and was an hour late for his interview with Flores in a Providence, Rhode Island, hotel. Elway says if he and CEO Joe Ellis appeared disheveled it was because they had flown through the night after interviewing another candidate in Denver.
Flores, who was recently fired as Miami’s head coach, has named the Broncos, Dolphins and Giants along with the NFL in a lawsuit alleging unfair hiring practices.
Also on Thursday, Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II defended the Rooney Rule while acknowledging it hasn’t led to more minority head coaches. Rooney said there’s been “marked improvement” in the hiring of women and minorities in other key leadership roles on coaching staffs and in the front office. His late father Dan Rooney was the driving force behind the rule, which requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation jobs.
In other NFL news:
— The Broncos have promoted Darren Mougey from player personnel director to assistant general manager. The 36-year-old former college quarterback and wide receiver will continue overseeing the pro and college scouting departments while working with GM George Paton on player personnel and college scouting decisions.
— The NFL won’t sign off on a Super Bowl watch party at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium. The league sent a letter to stadium officials saying the legal and logistical barriers are too great to allow a broadcast of the game on the stadium’s big screens. The stadium will be the site of a fan rally on Monday, six days before the Bengals play the Rams at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles on Feb. 13.
— The lawyer for former Raiders player Henry Ruggs has told a judge he has received body-worn camera video from police who arrived after a high-speed crash that killed a woman. The former NFL wide receiver didn’t have to appear in court Thursday with his attorney ahead of a March 10 preliminary hearing. Ruggs faces prison if he’s convicted of DUI causing death.
