In February, former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL and the three teams alleging racial discrimination in the recruitment process, as well as his dismissal in Miami. Now two more coaches have joined the case.
According to ESPN, Steve Wilkes, who coached the Arizona Cardinals in the 2018 season, and Ray Horton, a former NFL defensive coordinator who was interviewed for the Titans head-coaching position, have joined Flores in the case. As Before Original lawsuits were also filed against the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins. Now the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, as well as 26 other “John Doe” NFL teams have been added as part of the revision.
The revised lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York, and they are asking for “increased transparency in NFL recruitment, incentives for hiring black coaches, and increasing visibility for black assistant coaches.”
Brian Flores’ attorneys have complained that the Texans “retaliated” against him and withdrew their consideration of admitting him to their main coaching spot “for filing the lawsuit and publicly speaking out about systemic discrimination in the NFL.”
Steve Wilkes talks about joining the case and says:
“When Coach Flores filed this action, I knew I owed it to myself and to all the black NFL coaches and aspiring coaches who stood by him. Very rarely willing to deal. Black coaches and candidates should have the same ability to be hired and be employed as white coaches and candidates. Looking forward to working.“
Ray Horton’s lawyer, who was a defensive coordinator for the Titans in 2014-2015, said his interview for the team’s head-coaching position was “completely fabricated. A false desire to consider minority candidates. “
White Mike Muellerki has been appointed to the post.
In an interview with the Steelers Realm podcast, Mullerki spoke about his recruitment process for head coach and said:
“When I was in Tennessee I allowed myself to get involved in something that I regret and I still regret. But the owner there, Amy Adams Strunk and her family came and told me that I was going to be head coach in 2016 before they went through the Rooney rules. And so, I sat there knowing that I was the head coach in ’16 because they went through this fake recruitment process. Knowing the many coaches they are interviewing, knowing how ready they are to go through those interviews, knowing what they can do and they have no chance of getting that job.“
Horton also spoke with Flores and Wilkes about joining the lawsuit and said:
“I am proud to stand with Coach Flores and Coach Wilkes in the fight against systemic inequality that has plagued the NFL for so long. When I learned from Coach Muellerki’s statement that my head coach’s interview with the Titans was a fabrication, I was devastated and humiliated. By joining this case, I hope to turn that experience into a positive one and create lasting change and truly equal opportunities in the future.“
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TSR Staff: Jade Ashley @ Jade_Ashley94
