NFL: Judge Allows Brian Flores' Lawsuit to Proceed

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Facts

• The National Football League (NFL) and three of its teams must face trial after a judge rejected the option of arbitration to settle former head coach and current Vikings’ defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ accusation of discriminatory hiring practices.¹
• Flores sued the NFL and teams after being fired as the Miami Dolphins head coach — alleging systemic racial discrimination against Black coaches for top coaching and management jobs.²
• While Judge Valerie Caproni’s ruling allowed Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL and three teams — the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and Houston Texans — to proceed, it also said that his case against the Dolphins must be settled through arbitration.³
• Two other coaches, Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, joined Flores’ lawsuit, but their respective discrimination cases against the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans must go through arbitration as well.⁴
• Caproni called the coaches’ descriptions of racial discrimination “troubling” and said the NFL has a “long history of systematic discrimination” toward Black employees. Flores’ attorney Douglas Wigdor said he was “pleased” with the ruling.⁵
• While the NFL did not get all cases pushed to arbitration, it stated it is also “pleased” with the ruling and will proceed with the upcoming arbitration and litigation. The league maintains its commitment to diversity and inclusion and says it will continue to do the necessary work to uphold its commitment.⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²Associated Press, ³CNN, ⁴Wwnytv, ⁵FOX News and ⁶NBC.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Deadspin. The NFL desperately wanted to keep Brian Flores’ case against them behind closed doors and handled it via a biased arbitration. Thankfully, Flores’ claims of discrimination will go to trial where the NFL’s racism will be brightly displayed. NFL coaches, executives, and players have faced bigotry for decades — it's finally being exposed.
• Right narrative, as provided by Washington Examiner. Brian Flores is right about one thing in his lawsuit against the NFL: there is racial discrimination in hiring. However, it’s not against Black coaches. The NFL has been implementing rules that require teams to hire anyone other than White males. From staff requirements to free draft picks, the league is doing whatever it can to pursue an unfair, 'woke' agenda.