The NFL will strengthen its rules aimed at encouraging the hiring of people from diverse backgrounds for certain positions, including as head coaches, and will investigate the allegations contained in the class action lawsuit for discrimination by ex-coach Brian Flores.
Posted at 4:16 p.m.
This was told to the teams of the National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell on Saturday. The league will specifically look into Flores’ allegations that the Miami Dolphins asked him to lose his team to get a better draft pick.
“We will be reassessing and reviewing all of our policies, guidelines and initiatives regarding diversity, equity and inclusion, including with respect to gender,” Goodell wrote in a memo sent to the league’s 32 teams. and of which the Associated Press obtained a copy.
The commissioner added that the league’s record of recruiting coaches from diverse backgrounds is “unacceptable.”
This message was sent five days after Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL, along with three of its teams, over discrimination issues regarding the hiring of head coaches and general managers. The former Dolphins coach says the league remains “riddled with racism,” even as she publicly condemns it.
The NFL’s primary means of increasing diversity within its ranks is through the “Rooney Rule,” which was put in place nearly 20 years ago. It requires teams to interview diverse candidates in their processes to find a new head coach or general manager.
Despite this rule, there is currently only one black head coach in the league: Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
None of the circuit owners are black, while diversity general managers and coordinators are rare. On the field, 70% of the players are black or from a diverse background.
Goodell said the league will bring in outside experts to review the rules in place. “Players and coaches, current and former” will also be consulted.
“Our objective is simple: to make the rules more effective so that we can see concrete changes,” explained the commissioner.
In a statement, Flores’ lawyers said that while Goodell’s message appears to be a positive first step in addressing systemic racism within the league, they “suspect it is more of a gesture of public relations than a real commitment to change”.
Flores, who is black, was fired as Dolphins coach last month, despite two consecutive winning seasons. He filed a class action lawsuit targeting his former team, the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and the NFL this week over the hiring process for some key positions.
After the lawsuit was filed, the league said it would defend itself against the allegations it deemed “without merit.” The Dolphins, Broncos and Giants have also refuted Flores’ claims.
Goodell took a less trenchant stance on the chase in his memo to teams.
“We understand the concerns expressed this week by Coach Flores and others. We will not wait for the end of the legal process to ensure that our hiring procedures are consistent with our values and our long-standing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” argued Commissioner.
Flores’ most serious allegation is that the Dolphins owner promised to give him $100,000 for every loss he suffered during his first season at the helm of the team.
According to the ex-coach, owner Stephen Ross wanted his team to finish in the bottom of the standings to get the first draft pick.
The Dolphins went 5-11 that season. With a 2-14 record, the Cincinnati Bengals secured the No. 1 pick and set their sights on quarterback Joe Burrow, who led the team to the Super Bowl this season.
“We also take any issues related to the integrity of NFL games seriously,” added Goodell. These allegations will be investigated thoroughly and independently. We expect external experts to receive full cooperation from anyone connected with the case. »
Ross pledged his team’s full cooperation on Thursday. He, however, called Flores’ accusations “false, malicious and defamatory.”
Flores argued that the Broncos in 2019 and the Giants this season conducted job interviews only to comply with the “Rooney Rule”, since they had, according to the ex-coach, already chosen their candidate.
Over the years, many people have also claimed that teams have set up interviews for the sole purpose of complying with the “Rooney Rule”.
