Seth Udinski, FISM News
As the NFL is in the middle of a two-week wait for Super Bowl LVI, several off-field developments have risen involving a discrimination lawsuit from a former coach and an announcement from the nation’s capital.
Sources revealed yesterday that Brian Flores, the former coach of the Miami Dolphins, has filed a suit against the NFL and three teams for discrimination in hiring practices.
Breaking: Former Dolphins HC Brian Flores is suing the NFL, teams for alleged racial discrimination pic.twitter.com/w9ZwyBrsEw
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 1, 2022
Flores was fired at the end of the season by the Dolphins despite having won 8 of the team’s last 9 games. He says he was fired because he refused to purposely lose games to gain draft position or skirt other NFL rules at the behest of Miami owner Stephen Ross. Flores also contends that his interviews, with the Giants this year and the Broncos in 2019 for their head coach position, was only done to comply with the Rooney rule which mandates that at least one minority candidate be interviewed for any open coaching position.
He further claims that he was never truly considered for the vacancies. The lawsuit seeks class-action status so others could join.
In other NFL news, on Wednesday the Washington Football Team announced its official name change. The team will now be known as the Washington Commanders.
Introducing the Washington Commanders. (via @commanders) pic.twitter.com/mjC3kouO31
— NFL (@NFL) February 2, 2022
This brings a two-year-long saga to an end, in which the team abandoned its longtime nickname “Redskins” in the wake of the American racial riots of 2020. Washington will keep the team’s longstanding color scheme of burgundy and gold and also holds onto the familiar “W” logo that became the trademark of the “Football Team” era. It will also add a new black full uniform alternate.
Despite the name change, the team is still mired in controversy over a sexual abuse case in the organization. Many former employees are scheduled to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Thursday.