Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross responded to a lawsuit from former Miami head coach Brian Flores, who is suing the Dolphins, New York Giants, and Denver Broncos, claiming he experienced racism during the team’s hiring processes.
Flores, who was fired after the 2021–2022 season by the Dolphins after three seasons, sued the teams earlier this week. In particular, he accused Ross of incentivizing him to lose games during the 2019–2022 season to get better draft picks, offering to pay him $100,000 per loss. Ross, in his statement, denied Flores’ allegations.
According to a section of the lawsuit, Flores’s lawyers alleged that “Flores was ultimately terminated and subsequently defamed throughout the media and the league as he was labeled by the Dolphins brass as someone who was difficult to work with,” while claiming there was a racist undertone.
But Ross, 81, said that he takes “great personal exception to these malicious attacks” in the lawsuit.
Flores was fired after three seasons, where his teams went 24–25 and failed to make the playoffs.
“His allegations are false, malicious, and defamatory,” Ross also said in the statement. “We understand there are media stating that the NFL intends to investigate his claims, and we will cooperate fully. I welcome that investigation and I am eager to defend my personal integrity, and the integrity and values of the entire Miami Dolphins organization, from these baseless, unfair, and disparaging claims.”
Flores also alleged in his suit that the Giants interviewed him in January 2022 for their head-coaching vacancy for no other reason than to comply with the NFL’s “Rooney Rule,” which mandates teams to interview minority candidates for coaching or general manager positions. The Giants hired former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
In a statement, the Giants also denied Flores’ allegations.
“We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates,” the team said in its statement this week. “The fact of the matter is, Brian Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach.”
And in the lawsuit, Flores alleged a similar situation unfolded when he was interviewed by the Broncos in 2019. Then-general manager John Elway, he alleged, and others arrived at the interview an hour late and appeared to be hungover, claiming they were “drinking heavily the night before.”
“Pages of detailed notes, analysis and evaluations from our interview demonstrate the depth of our conversation and sincere interest in Mr. Flores as a head coaching candidate,” said the Broncos in a statement. “Our process was thorough and fair to determine the most qualified candidate for our head coaching position.
