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Earlier this week, former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores sued the NFL, including three teams (Miami Dolphins, New York Giants and Denver Broncos), due to alleged racism in the hiring process.
As noted above, one of those three teams happened to be the team that he most recently coached for -- the Miami Dolphins.
Stephen Ross, the owner of the Dolphins, broke his silence on the matter yesterday, responding with, "His allegations are false."
One of the allegations that made the news was the former head coach said Ross offered him $100,000 a game for every Dolphins' loss during their 2019 season. He said, as the team won games late in the season, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier told him Ross was mad at Flores for winning because each win resulted in a higher draft pick.
Flores also said Ross pressured him into recruiting a "prominent quarterback" at the end of 2019, which the coach refused to do because he wanted to avoid violating the NFL's tampering rules. Ross allegedly invited him onto a yacht for lunch in the winter of 2020, where he informed him that the quarterback was "conveniently" arriving at the marina for an impromptu meeting.
Flores refused the meeting and left the yacht. Afterward, he alleges he was "treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with."
Stephen Ross' full response to Brian Flores' allegations
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross responded to Flores' claims at midnight, Eastern Standard Time, last night. Ross claims that the former Dolphins' head coach's allegations are "false" and "malicious attacks." He went on to say that "the truth must be known."
"With regards to the allegations being made by Brian Flores, I am a man of honor and integrity and cannot let them stand without responding. I take great personal exception to these malicious attacks, and the truth must be known. His allegations are false, malicious and defamatory. We understand there are media reports stating that the NFL intends to investigate his claims, and we will cooperate fully. I welcome that investigation, and I am eager to defend my personal integrity and the integrity and values of the entire Miami Dolphins organization from the baseless, unfair, and disparaging claims.”
Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported that the NFL will investigate the specific allegations that former Dolphins head coach has made concerning Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offering him $100,000 per loss incentives in 2019 to gain a better draft position, and other potential rules violations will also be investigated.
Needless to say, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
