"The Brian Flores-led discrimination lawsuit against the NFL can proceed to open court and avoid the league's arbitration process, a federal judge ruled Friday. Flores, who is joined in the lawsuit by Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, sued the league and three teams in February 2022 after he was fired the previous month by the Miami Dolphins. Now the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, Flores alleged in his original suit that the league was "rife with racism" regarding its hiring practices when it comes to Black coaches. The NFL argued Flores should go through the league's arbitration process rather than the legal system, but Judge Valerie Caproni of the Southern District of New York sided with the plaintiffs."
""The court's decision recognizes that an arbitration forum in which the defendant's own chief executive gets to decide the case would strip employees of their rights under the law," Flores' attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and David E. Gottlieb said in a statement. "It is long overdue for the NFL to recognize this and finally provide a fair, neutral and transparent forum for these issues to be addressed." The NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment."
Judge Valerie Caproni ruled that Brian Flores' discrimination lawsuit against the NFL may proceed in open court rather than through the league's arbitration process. Flores is joined by Steve Wilks and Ray Horton and alleges systemic racial bias in NFL hiring practices. The suit names the league and three teams and stems from Flores' firing by the Miami Dolphins after a 24-25 record and subsequent interviews with the Broncos, Giants and Texans. Wilks and Horton allege similar discriminatory hiring treatments, including a "bridge coach" role and non-genuine interviews. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for April 3.
Read at Sun Sentinel
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