Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has signed on to join the Pittsburgh Steelers as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach, ESPN reports.
Flores brings almost 20 years of coaching experince to one of the most storied franchises in the history of the NFL. Last season, Flores led the Dolphins to an 8-1 finish after a 1-7 start. Also, he coached the Patriots’ linebackers for three seasons and called plays in New England’s Super Bowl LIII victory.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, one of two Black head coaches in the NFL along with recently hired Lovie Smith, issued a statement lauding Flores’s track record as a coach.
"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. "Brian's resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team."
As EBONY previously reported, Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL, alleging a pattern of discrimination against Black head coaches and executives.
The suit claims that the New York Giants interviewed Flores for their head coaching job, although they already intended to hire Brian Daboll for the position.
Flores alleged that the interview process was a “sham” to keep in compliance with the NFL’s “Rooney Rule,” which mandates teams to interview minority candidates for vacant head coaching and general manager jobs.
“Mr. Flores was forced to sit through a dinner with Joe Schoen, the Giant’s new General Manager, knowing that the Giants had already selected Mr. Daboll,” the suit stated.
“Much worse, on Thursday, January 27, 2022, Mr. Flores had to give an extensive interview for a job that he already knew he would not get—an interview that was held for no reason other than for the Giants to demonstrate falsely to the League Commissioner Roger Goodell and the public at large that it was in compliance with the Rooney Rule.”
Although he’s now a part of the Steelers’ s staff, his lawsuit against the NFL will proceed, his lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor added.
"We congratulate Coach Flores on his new position with the Steelers and thank Coach Tomlin and the organization for giving him this great opportunity," Wigdor said. “While Coach Flores is now focused on his new position, he will continue with his race discrimination class action so that real change can be made in the NFL.”
