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According to the NFL, the discrimination lawsuit initially filed by Brian Flores lacks legitimacy and should be thrown out, NBC News reports.
In a letter released on Thursday (April 22), the NFL told a federal judge that they have "numerous defenses" that will disprove the racism claims made by Flores and the two other black coaches who recently joined the lawsuit. The league also suggested the lawsuit be dismissed without a trial because the case has no legal merit.
The NFL's lawyers wrote in the letter, “Defendants have not discriminated against Plaintiffs (or the Black coaches and general managers they purport to represent) on the basis of their race, nor have Defendants retaliated against Mr. Flores for filing this lawsuit."
Flores accused the league of racist hiring practices, particularly for head coaching and general manager positions, after he was fired from the Miami Dolphins at the end of the 2021 season. In the lawsuit against the NFL, Flores claimed that he was given a "sham interview" with the Denver Broncos and was made out to be the "angry Black man" when he didn't comply with the Dolphins' request to tank games in order to receive a better draft pick.
Black coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton added to Flores' discrimination lawsuit last month.
However, in Thursday's letter, the NFL refuted all of the racism allegations - the league's lawyers said they have numerous jurisdictional, venue, and statute-of-limitations defenses.
The NFL believes the lawsuit shouldn't be taken to trial because the claims against the league “lack legal merit under the relevant statutes,” the letter stated.
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