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Attorneys for former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores say a newly unsealed recruiting report relied on racial stereotypes about Black NFL coaching candidates, ABC7 News reported.
The memo, prepared by recruiting firm Korn Ferry during the Raiders’ 2024 head coaching search, was unsealed Tuesday (October 13) as part of Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL, and several teams.
Titled “Brian Flores — Strengths and Weaknesses,” the report listed six strengths and seven weaknesses. One strength described Flores as “polished and a good presenter despite growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn (same as Mike Tyson),” according to Front Office Sports.
It also credited his friendship with a billionaire’s son with giving him opportunities to “socialize and learn how to build relationships with white-collar and upper-class individuals.”
Under weaknesses, the firm wrote, “He can fool you with his polish upwards. Has little people skills, lacks self-awareness and can sometimes exhibit erratic behavior.”
The memo also cited allegations that he threatened violence against a general manager and described his ongoing lawsuit against the NFL as a potential distraction.
Flores attorney Michael Willemin told Front Office Sports that the report portrayed his client as an “angry Black man.” He also argued that the “polish upwards” comment suggested Flores was not as intelligent as he appeared.
“The recently unsealed documents demonstrate two unfortunate, but unsurprising, realities,” Flores attorney Douglas H. Wigdor told Front Office Sports.
“First, that Mr. Flores' decision to hold the league and its teams accountable for systemic race discrimination has been met with unlawful retaliation,” Wigdor said.
“Second, discrimination continues to play a significant role in the hiring process for NFL Head Coaches, as evidenced by the fact that the candidate profile prepared for the Raiders leans heavily on racial stereotypes.”
The Raiders declined to comment, according to ABC7.
Flores filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and several teams in February 2022, describing the league as “rife with racism” in its coaching hiring practices, ABC7 reported.
The NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to The Associated Press.
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