Topic: This article is about Brian Flores’s decision to file a class-action lawsuit against the NFL
and its teams, which alleges the organization and its teams violated Section 1981 of the Civil
Rights Act of 1866. This lawsuit accuses the NFL of discriminatory hiring and retention
practices that deny black candidates an equal opportunity.
Relevant Information Included Related to the Topic: After the 2021 season, Brian Flores was
fired from coaching the Miami Dolphins football team despite having back-to-back winning
seasons. The Miami Dolphins have since made a statement claiming this version of events is
incorrect. The NFL also made a statement maintaining that they will defend against these claims
since they were made “without merit”. Flores is seeking unspecified damages, as well as changes
to the NFL’s process for hiring and firing candidates in an effort to ensure greater diversity in
coaching and leadership roles.
Information Missing: The main information missing in this article is obviously the court’s
decision regarding the lawsuit itself, clearly because the case hasn’t gone to court yet. Other
information missing from this article is actions taken in an attempt to solve this conflict before
the lawsuit. Did Brian Flores express his concerns to anyone beforehand? Did the NFL make any
attempts to compromise this issue before it became a legal matter?
Suggestions for Moving Forward:
1. Make revisions to the league’s “Rooney Rule” to include incentives to comply.
2. Require Interview monitoring to ensure interviews aren’t conducted as just a formality.
3. Acknowledge awareness of the head coaching disparities in the NFL publicly and declare
the “Rooney Rule” as being a requirement, not a suggestion.
Recommendations you would make: I would choose the first recommendation. There have
been revisions made to the rule, yet the rule fails to resonate because there’s not much of an
incentive to comply. Financial and non-financial incentives could improve adherence to the rule.
Pros and Cons of Recommendation:
Pros Cons
Encourages a more inclusive workforce Difficult to keep everyone happy
Helps to attract and retain diverse employees Costs more for Employers (NFL)
Shows that the NFL acknowledges a problem
exists and wants to genuinely fix it
Monitoring and administering incentives
could be time-consuming
Article Used: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/brian-flores-lawsuit-explained-nfl-
dolphins/17pmh4f1j1pmm15u24qvwjvvmv
