He’ll work for Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin, one among two lively Black head coaches within the league.
“I’m enthusiastic about Brian Flores becoming a member of our teaching workers given his historical past of creating and instructing defensive gamers throughout his time within the NFL,” Tomlin mentioned in a written assertion. “Brian’s resume speaks for itself, and I sit up for him including his experience to assist our crew.”
Now we have named Brian Flores as our senior defensive assistant/linebackers.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 19, 2022
Flores’s lawsuit will proceed, his attorneys mentioned.
“We congratulate Coach Flores on his new place with the Steelers and thank Coach Tomlin and the group for giving him this nice alternative,” attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and John Elefterakis mentioned in a joint assertion. “Whereas Coach Flores is now centered on his new place, he’ll proceed along with his race discrimination class motion in order that actual change may be made within the NFL.”
Flores filed his lawsuit in U.S. District Court docket for the Southern District of New York, accusing the NFL and groups of discriminating in opposition to Black coaches and denying them equal alternatives. Flores named the Dolphins, New York Giants and Denver Broncos whereas itemizing the 29 different NFL groups as potential defendants.
Steelers cornerback Joe Haden applauded Pittsburgh’s transfer, writing on Twitter: “The Steelers group is FIRST CLASS.”
He was fired by the Dolphins final month after a second straight successful season. The NFL had three Black head coaches this previous season however two of them had been fired, Flores by the Dolphins and David Culley by the Houston Texans. Solely one of many 9 head teaching vacancies leaguewide this offseason was stuffed by a Black coach, with the Texans’ hiring of Lovie Smith. One different minority head coach was employed. The Dolphins employed Mike McDaniel, who’s multiracial.
Flores was a finalist for the Giants’ head teaching job this offseason that went to Brian Daboll. After his lawsuit was filed, he was a candidate for the vacancies of the Texans and New Orleans Saints. The Saints promoted their defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, to succeed Sean Payton as their coach.
The league and the groups named in Flores’s lawsuit denied his allegations. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell mentioned in Inglewood, Calif., throughout Tremendous Bowl week that the league received’t “take something off the desk” because it seeks to deal with its minority hiring points.
The NFL mentioned this week that Loretta E. Lynch, a former U.S. lawyer normal, will likely be among the many attorneys representing the league in Flores’s lawsuit. The league confirmed that it retained Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and that Lynch and Brad S. Karp, the agency’s chairman, will lead the protection. Lynch is a accomplice with the agency.
The league additionally has mentioned it’ll examine Flores’s tanking allegations within the lawsuit. He accused Dolphins proprietor Stephen Ross of providing him $100,000 per loss through the 2019 season in a failed try to safe the highest general selection within the 2020 NFL draft. Ross has denied the allegations.
Flores mentioned he declined to take part within the scheme. The Dolphins went 5-11 that season and chosen quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 general choose within the 2020 draft. Quarterback Joe Burrow went first general that yr to the Cincinnati Bengals and reached the Tremendous Bowl in his second NFL season.