Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores is back in the league, though not in the kind of role many expected he would be.
Flores interviewed for several head coaching positions this offseason, but he will instead be joining coach Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers as a linebackers coach.
Given Flores’ experience, the fact that he didn’t even land as a coordinator is a surprise.
Remember, on Feb. 1, Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL (and the Dolphins, Giants and Broncos, specifically) alleging racial discrimination in hiring and firing practices and, in the case of the Dolphins, attempted match-fixing at the hands of owner Stephen Ross.
We have named Brian Flores as our senior defensive assistant/linebackers.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 19, 2022
“I am excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL,” Tomlin said in a release. “Brian’s resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team.”
Flores’ allegations of discrimination have to do with the handling of head coaching decisions, specifically, so his hiring as a position coach will likely have little impact on the league’s counterarguments. According to a report from CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, Flores still plans to proceed with the lawsuit.
As mentioned on @CBSSportsHQ, Brian Flores intends to see his class-action lawsuit through. Joining the Steelers org as a senior defensive assistant does not change that.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) February 19, 2022
Among the allegations Flores levies against the league is that the New York Giants violated the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one minority head coaching candidate. Prior to his interview with the Giants, Flores received a text from Patriots coach Bill Belichick that seemed to indicate the franchise had already decided to hire Brian Daboll without interviewing minority candidates.
He also alleges that before he was hired by the Dolphins in 2019, the Broncos conducted a sham interview with him in which John Elway and other executives arrived an hour late and visibly hungover.
Many felt that his termination with Dolphins was also premature. After a 5-11 finish in his first season, his squad finished with a winning record in each of the last two seasons and just barely missed the playoffs. The fact that he could only get a position coaching job with that experience could serve to help his case.
It may not be the level of job that Flores wanted (and deserved) but the big winner here is clearly Pittsburgh, who lands one of the brightest defensive minds in football.
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