The suit alleged teams do not give proper consideration to Black coaches for open positions and often are quick to fire even successful coaches. Black coaches are also not given second chances like white coaches are. It specifically calls out the Giants, Dolphins and Denver Broncos.<\/p>
Despite an NFL player pool that is 70% Black, out of 32 teams, only one employs a Black head coach, only six employ a Black general manager, and zero have a Black majority owner, the suit points out.<\/p>
“This is not by chance,” the suit said.<\/p>* * *<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The proposed class action seeks to represent Black head coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators, quarterbacks coaches and general managers, and it seeks to enforce a series of changes to ensure Black hiring candidates receive proper consideration.<\/p> The Rooney Rule, however well-intentioned, “has failed to increase the number of Black head coaches in the league,” the suit claims<\/p> It is “not working because management is not doing the interviews in good-faith, and it therefore creates a stigma that interviews of Black candidates are only being done to comply with the Rooney Rule rather than in recognition of the talents that the Black candidates possess,” the suit says.<\/p>* * *<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The complaint includes a screenshot of the text exchange in which Belichick congratulated Flores on landing the Giants gig, only to later realize his mistake. In text messages with Brian Flores, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick says the New York Giants had decided to hire a white coach, Brian Daboll, three days before Flores was set to interview with the team.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n <\/p> “I hear from Buffalo & NYG that you are their guy,” Belichick texted, according to Flores’ complaint. “Hope it works out if you want it to!!”<\/p> “Coach, are you talking to Brian Flores or Brian Daboll. Just making sure,” Flores later responded.<\/p> “Sorry – I fucked this up. I double checked & misread the text. I think they are naming Daboll. I’m sorry about that. BB.” Belichick said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Flores then said he sat through an “extensive interview” for the Giants job with general manager Joe Schoen, even though he knew he would not get the job. The interview was “held for no reason other than for the Giants to demonstrate falsely to the league commissioner Roger Goodell and the public at large that it was in compliance with the Rooney Rule,” which requires teams to interview at least two minority candidates for open head coaching jobs.<\/p>Source<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n His complaint asserts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “the NFL is racially segregated and is managed much like a plantation. Its 32 owners\u2014none of whom are Black\u2014profit substantially from the labor of NFL players, 70% of whom are Black. The owners watch the games from atop NFL stadiums in their luxury boxes, while their majority-Black workforce put their bodies on the line every Sunday, taking vicious hits and suffering debilitating injuries to their bodies and their brains while the NFL and its owners reap billions of dollars.”<\/p> and<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n “..in connection with its distribution of settlement monies to retirees who suffer from traumatic brain injury, the NFL insisted on applying so-called \u201cracenorms.\u201d Put simply, the NFL took the position that white people simply have better baseline cognitive function than Black people.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n If class certification gets upheld, the case could effect long-sought change in the NFL’s hiring process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s the complaint for your reading:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![](\"https:\/\/assets.law360news.com\/1460000\/1460925\/bb-flores-screenshots.png\")
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