Bomb Shell: Flores Suing Dolphins, League in Class Action

HalCHorn wrote:Ok, so NOW Flores is claiming that Belicheck influenced the Giants' decision to hire Daboll.

Yeah, it's really bolstering your case when you claim a guy you spent 15 years working for recommended someone else who hasn't worked him since 2006 over you to a team in the other conference....

DolFan 316 wrote:Flores being interviewed on NPR is just so...apropos.

Yup, we've already gone from "I have proof!" to "back channels!" How can ANYBODY with even a HALFWAY functioning brain take ANY of what he's saying seriously??? I am now convinced Flores has gone insane. Seriously. He's not right in the head.

JMP wrote:Reading the Belichick messages yet again, these statements are interesting:

"I hear from Buffalo and NYG that you are their guy.  Hope it works out..."

"I think they are naming Daboll."

A lawyer would tear those statements apart - "I hear" and "I think" are NOT proof...they are merely the words of a person offering his opinion.  If that is Flo's "proof", it isn't going to hold up.

The allegation that the Giants' decision had been made prior to Friday evening, January 28, is false. And to base that allegation on a text exchange with Bill Belichick in which he ultimately states that he "thinks" Brian Daboll would get the job is irresponsible. The text exchange occurred the day before Coach Daboll's in-person interview even took place. Giants' ownership would never hire a head coach based only on a 20-minute zoom interview, which is all that Mr. Daboll had at that point.

In addition, Mr. Belichick does not speak for and has no affiliation with the Giants. Mr. Belichick's text exchange provides no insight into what actually transpired during our head coaching search.

Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports that “he spoke with a witness who said he heard Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offer former head coach Brian Flores $100,000 for every loss during the 2019 season.”

Meanwhile, and as explained earlier today, Ross faces potential prosecution for violation of the Sports Bribery Act. It’s one thing for such a case to come down to Ross and Flores giving conflicting versions of the same conversation. If there’s corroboration of Flores’s version, a prosecutor becomes much more likely to pursue the case.

So, basically, Wolfe’s report — published on a platform partially owned by Ross — could result not only in Ross losing the Dolphins but also in Ross being prosecuted.

mercury22nathan wrote:but i am starting to think about Miami's original hiring of Flores.  nobody would've known Flores better than Belichick having him on his staff for the previous 10-plus years - and yet still not name his as the defensive coordinator.  perhaps Bill knew something the rest of us didn't and was all too happy to see him go to a divisional rival.  hmmm?

Flores is a leader, but sometimes he was, well, too much of an alpha. And that put off some people on his earlier staffs and on his roster.

The Dolphins didn’t know this when they hired him. They didn’t know he one time tried to fight a player during a film session when he was with the Patriots, and if they did know, they ignored that as a warning sign about his personality.

"I'm really taken aback by it and disappointed on various levels."

Douglas said the first mistake by Flores was filing the lawsuit on the first day of Black History Month, which he believes was as a blatant publicity stunt.

“It appears this was all a P.R. stunt in terms of the timing.”

"How are you going to tell rich billionaires who to hire in a private business setting? Part of me fears that his lawyers were simply doing their best to get all the media wind while the iron was hot, knowing full well when it got to the substance that it didn't look strong for Brian Flores."

"If you want to join the club, embrace it. Put on a suit, put on a tie. Be on time. That's the nature of the club and then, once you get inside, you can change [things]."

"Non-lawyers always think that big institutions will crumble to their knees at the mere exposure of their misdeeds. I am very hesitant and cautious when I play the race card."

Ultimately, Douglas believes the lawsuit will not do anything to change the league's stance, who denied any racism or wrongdoing by the organizations, and instead will just make teams wary of Flores.

Flores' second error, according to Douglas, was hiring two white lawyers to represent him instead of black attorneys.

Maybe the coach claiming the NFL’s hiring practices are unfair should have addressed his own first.

Flores had 20 coaches on his 2021 coaching staff, with 15 of those white and five black.

Flores hired four offensive coordinators during his time with the Dolphins, including co-coordinators in 2021. Three of those four are white.

Flores hired four offensive line coaches during his tenure, and three of those four are white.

Flores hired two defensive coordinators during his time as head coach, one black and one white.

Flores hired four quarterback or assistant quarterback coaches during his three years, and three of those four are white, with Jim Caldwell the only exception. Caldwell, it should be noted, worked under Flores for a couple of months but departed before the 2019 season began, citing health issues.

Flores hired one special teams coordinator during his time as coach, that being Danny Crossman, who is white.

If you take Flores account at face value along with the facts.
Flores was hired by a black manager in 2019
In 2019 Flores told the owner to get lost when he was asked to tank. Won five games. Was not fired.
In early 2020 Flores told the owner to get lost when he was told to meet with Tom Brady. Was not fired,
In 2020 Flores started the year 2-4. Was not fired.
In 2021 Flores started the year 1-7. Was not fired until the end of the year,
But after three years, four OC, four OL coaches and zero playoff appearances Flores is fired two seasons after he last told the owner to get lost,
Must all be racism.

white1 wrote:Interesting stuff.  

The problem for Ross is not the discrimination claim.  The problem is IF it can be proven he tried to bribe his own head coach to intentionally lose games.  You CAN start bad quarterbacks, you can demand that rookies play even if not ready, you can dump veterans and trade away pro bowlers.  What you CAN'T do is try to pay off a coach and/or players to intentionally lose.  

That's the part that is so embarrassing to me, and dangerous to Ross.  There is a federal law against sports bribery.  If prosecuted, it would be difficult for him to maintain ownership of the team.

I'm not even sure Miami was named as discriminatory, I think those darts were aimed at Denver and NY based on the BB texts.

white1 wrote:Interesting stuff.  

The problem for Ross is not the discrimination claim.  The problem is IF it can be proven he tried to bribe his own head coach to intentionally lose games.  You CAN start bad quarterbacks, you can demand that rookies play even if not ready, you can dump veterans and trade away pro bowlers.  What you CAN'T do is try to pay off a coach and/or players to intentionally lose.  

That's the part that is so embarrassing to me, and dangerous to Ross.  There is a federal law against sports bribery.  If prosecuted, it would be difficult for him to maintain ownership of the team.

I'm not even sure Miami was named as discriminatory, I think those darts were aimed at Denver and NY based on the BB texts.  

If Flores can prove the case—and he’d better have at least one rock-solid witness—the implications would be massive. It could force the NFL to confront tanking and change the draft to a lottery, as the NBA does. It would force Ross to sell the franchise and perhaps to be charged with a crime.

white1 wrote:I will admit I am enamored with this angle.  Because I WANT Ross gone.  He is clearly not a good owner.  He is a big part of the problem in Miami.  

Best thing that could happen to this franchise is if Ross was forced to sell, and someone like Tom Brady purchased a controlling interest. IMO Brady would make an excellent owner. Driven, ultra competitive, and knows the game inside and out.  He would establish a strong leader over the football operation and hold them accountable for results.

white1 wrote:This morning from Peter King in FMIA:

If Flores can prove the case—and he’d better have at least one rock-solid witness—the implications would be massive. It could force the NFL to confront tanking and change the draft to a lottery, as the NBA does. It would force Ross to sell the franchise and perhaps to be charged with a crime.

I will admit I am enamored with this angle.  Because I WANT Ross gone.  He is clearly not a good owner.  He is a big part of the problem in Miami.  

Best thing that could happen to this franchise is if Ross was forced to sell, and someone like Tom Brady purchased a controlling interest. IMO Brady would make an excellent owner. Driven, ultra competitive, and knows the game inside and out.  He would establish a strong leader over the football operation and hold them accountable for results.

JMP wrote:There is already a succession plan in place for when Ross steps down, and it was approved by NFL owners years ago.  I'm not sure if a court ruling in this case would nullify the agreement, but as of right now the next Dolphins owner will be Bruce Beal. Beal is currently listed as Vice Chairman / Partner of the Dolphins.

DolFan 316 wrote:

JMP wrote:There is already a succession plan in place for when Ross steps down, and it was approved by NFL owners years ago.  I'm not sure if a court ruling in this case would nullify the agreement, but as of right now the next Dolphins owner will be Bruce Beal. Beal is currently listed as Vice Chairman / Partner of the Dolphins.

If Ross is forced to sell, then any agreement he made for a succession plan becomes null and void, for the same reason that your son couldn't inherit your house if you sold it. Whoever is behind this knows it too.