UNDATED (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has told teams the league will look to bolster policies meant to encourage the hiring of minorities, particularly as head coaches. The commissioner also pledged an investigation into tanking allegations raised by Brian Flores in his discrimination lawsuit against the NFL.
In a memo to the league’s 32 clubs that was obtained by The Associated Press, Goodell wrote that the NFL’s record on hiring minority coaches has been “unacceptable.”
Flores, who is Black, was fired as Miami’s coach last month despite back-to-back winning seasons. He named the league and three teams — the Dolphins, Denver Broncos, and New York Giants — in a class-action lawsuit this week alleging unfair hiring practices in the NFL.
The most serious allegation in the lawsuit is Flores’ contention that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told him he would pay him $100,000 for every loss during the coach’s first season because the owner wanted the club to “tank” so it could get the top draft pick.
