2 More Black Coaches Join Flores' NFL Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

FLORIDA — Two more Black football coaches have joined the racial discrimination lawsuit filed against the NFL by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores in February.

In the lawsuit, Flores, the current Pittsburgh Steelers assistant, accuses the NFL, Dolphins, Denver Broncos, New York Giants and other unnamed teams of racial discrimination, and says the league operates like a “plantation.”

Now, the former Steelers defensive coordinator Ray Horton and former Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks have joined the lawsuit.

Horton, who is retired, claimed the Tennessee Titans, only interviewed him when hiring a head coach in 2016 to adhere to the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least two people of color for high-level coaching and administrative positions.

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Mike Mularkey, the former Titans coach, is also named in the suit. Horton alleges that the team had already decided to hire Mularkey for the position and only interviewed him to appear as though it was complying with the Rooney Rule.

Meanwhile, Wilks was fired by the Cardinals in 2018.

Flores’ original complaint accused the NFL and numerous teams of not adhering to the Rooney Rule in good faith. He also claimed that he experienced discrimination while coaching the Dolphins from 2019 to 2021, alleging that the team pressured him to violate NFL recruiting rules when trying to bring a “prominent quarterback,” later identified as Tom Brady, to the team.

After leaving the Dolphins, Flores interviewed with the New York Giants earlier this year. He said that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick sent him a text congratulating him on getting the position three days before he even interviewed for it. Belichick quickly told Flores that he mistakenly sent him the text, which was intended for Brian Daboll, who later got the job.

Flores also said he had a “sham interview” with the Denver Broncos in 2019 because the team wanted to seem as though it was complying with the Rooney Rule.

The NFL said the claims are “without merit,” and said it would defend itself against the lawsuit.

At the end of March, the league also changed its hiring practices, requiring all NFL teams to hire a minority offensive assistant coach for the 2022 season and expanding the Rooney Rule to include women.