Nov 7, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores listens to down judge David Oliver (24) during the second half of the game against the Houston Texans at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears were not listed among the teams named in the class-action lawsuit that former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed on Tuesday. The Bears had interviewed Flores for their head coaching vacancy.
They were reportedly impressed with the former Dolphins’ head coach but ultimately selected former Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to serve as their new head coach in place of Matt Nagy.
Flores’ lawsuit sent a ripple effect across the NFL when it was first reported. In the lawsuit, Flores names the Dolphins, New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and the NFL. Flores alleges that discrimination played a factor in his interview process with the Giants this year and Broncos in 2019, as well in his firing with the Dolphins.
Perhaps the most critical piece of evidence that Flores has is the text message chain with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. In the exchange, Belichick congratulates Flores for receiving the head coaching job of the Giants despite the fact that he had not interviewed with the team yet.
Further text messages between the two make it appear that Belichick believed he was texting former Buffalo Bills coordinator Brian Daboll. Daboll was indeed named the Giants’ head coach last Friday.
For many years now, there have been complaints about the process of head coaching interviews in the NFL due to the Rooney Rule. The Rooney Rule requires a team to interview a minority candidate before making official hiring.
The rule was intended to increase the opportunity of a minority candidate receiving a head coaching position but there have been instances where it appears that teams have manipulated the rule.
Brian Flores did not name the Chicago Bears in his lawsuit against the NFL.
Prior to the Dallas Cowboys hiring Mike McCarthy before the 2020 season, the team had an interview with Marvin Lewis. The Cowboys’ interview with Lewis appeared to be nothing more than them satisfying the Rooney Rule as it was already widely reported that Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones was going to hire McCarthy.
There is no question that there is a diversity problem in regards to teams hiring minority candidates for head coaching and front-office positions. Flores is sacrificing his potential future in the NFL as a head coach to try and enable change.
For the Bears, diversity certainly played a factor in both their head coaching and general manager searches. A part of the Bears’ search committee was the team’s director of player engagement LaMar Campbell and their senior vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion Tanesha Wade.