Recently dismissed Miami Dolphins head coach, Brian Flores, claims the team’s owner tried to bribe him to throw games in a suit he filed against the NFL for racial discrimination.
Flores was fired by the Dolphins after three years and a 24-25 record, despite the team steadily improving under his guidance, and winning eight of their last nine games this season.
The coach filed a class-action lawsuit in Manhattan federal court against the NFL on Tuesday, which alleged that he was racially discriminated against, and pressured to “tank” games and violate league tampering rules during his tenure.
Court documents revealed that “the writing had been on the wall” for Flores’ dismissal since his first season in 2019, when he refused team owner Stephen Ross’s directive “to ‘tank’ for the first pick in the draft.”
Flores alleged that Ross bribed him with $100K for every loss, and that General Manager Chris Grier told him that Ross was “mad” that he was “compromising [the team’s] draft position” with every game they won.
The Dolphins’ 5-11 season allowed the 2-14 Cincinnati Bengals to draft LSU alum Joe Burrow, who has led them to the 2022 superbowl.
The suit also claimed that Ross tried to get Flores to violate league tampering rules by attempting “to ‘set up’ a purportedly impromptu meeting” between the coach and a prominent quarterback.
Flores also alleged that refusing to participate in the scheme caused him to be “treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with.”
“This is reflective of an all too familiar ‘angry black man’ stigma that is often casted upon Black men who are strong in their morals and convictions while white men are coined as passionate for those very same attributes,” the documents stated.
The QB in question is reportedly recently retired Tom Brady, who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after leaving the New England Patriots at the time. Flores joined the Patriots organization in 2004, and rose through their coaching ranks as Brady ascended to greatness.
Predictably, the Dolphins challenged Flores’ narrative. “We vehemently deny any allegations of racial discrimination and are proud of the diversity and inclusion throughout our organization,” a team statement said.
“The implication that we acted in a manner inconsistent with the integrity of the game is incorrect. We will be withholding further comment on the lawsuit at this time.”
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