UNDATED (AP) — Brian Flores says his lawsuit against the NFL alleging racist hiring practices will continue even if he becomes a head coach again this offseason because the league needs change.
According to the lawsuit, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told Flores he would pay him $100,000 for every loss during the coach’s first season because he wanted the club to “tank” so it could get the draft’s top pick. The lawsuit alleges that Ross also pressured Flores to recruit a prominent quarterback in violation of the league’s tampering rules. It says that when Flores refused, he was portrayed as an “angry Black man” who is difficult to work with and was derided until he was fired.
Flores was fired last month after leading the Dolphins to a 24-25 record over three years.
In other NFL news:
— Pittsburgh Steelers senior defensive assistant Teryl Austin says the NFL needs to keep finding opportunities for coaches of color. Austin, who is Black, says he has been interviewed for an NFL head coaching vacancy 11 times and has yet to be hired.
— Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said the club remains “in the middle” of its coaching search after interviewing three candidates whom Loomis described as “all very impressive,” including former Dolphins coach Brian Flores. The Saints have also interviewed former Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson and Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. They also plan to interview more candidates including New Orleans defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.
— The Cleveland Browns says suggestions by former coach Hue Jackson that he was paid by the team to lose games are “completely fabricated.” Jackson, who is now coaching at Grambling, made several posts on Twitter inferring that he received bonus payments from Browns owner Jimmy Haslam during his two-plus seasons with the team. Jackson was fired eight games into the 2018 season. He went 3-36-1 with Cleveland, losing all 16 games in 2017.
— The Chicago Bears have hired Alan Williams as defensive coordinator under new coach Matt Eberflus. The Bears also added Dave Borgonzi and Chris Morgan to their staff today.
— Mike Macdonald was hired as Baltimore’s new defensive coordinator after a year at Michigan. Macdonald replaces Don Martindale, who was fired after four seasons.
— Washington’s NFL team is now called the Commanders. Washington joins Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians among North American major professional sports teams abandoning names linked to Native Americans.
