Flores lawyers say unsealed coaching report leaned on racial stereotypes
Lawyers for Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores say a confidential coaching report made public this week trafficked in racial stereotypes.
The memo was unsealed Tuesday as part of Flores' discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and multiple teams. It was obtained by the Associated Press and first published by Front Office Sports, according to The Guardian.
The report was prepared by Korn Ferry, an executive search firm teams hire to vet candidates. In this case, the work was done in connection with the Las Vegas Raiders' head coaching vacancy in 2024. It listed six strengths and seven weaknesses for Flores.
Some of that language is now at the center of the dispute. One listed strength described Flores as polished and a good presenter despite growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and said he befriended a billionaire's son to learn to build relationships with white-collar and upper-class individuals.
One weakness said Flores can fool you with his polish upwards, has little people skills, lacks self-awareness and can exhibit erratic behavior. Another account of the memo said it questioned his intelligence and portrayed him as "an angry Black man," according to WBZ NewsRadio.
The report also cited comments from former Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. It said those comments fed a narrative that Flores was pessimistic and adversarial and had shattered the quarterback's confidence. Its final weakness listed Flores' ongoing discrimination lawsuit against the NFL as a potential distraction.
Flores sued the NFL and three teams in February 2022, alleging the league was rife with racism in the hiring of Black head coaches. He had recently been fired as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton later joined the case, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Flores now runs the defense in Minnesota. A defensive coordinator calls the plays and designs the game plan for that side of the ball, and Flores has held that role with the Vikings while his lawsuit moves forward.
His attorney, Michael J. Willemin, said the lawsuit over systemic race discrimination was met with unlawful retaliation and that discrimination continues in NFL head-coach hiring. The lawyers said the newly unsealed report amounts to that kind of retaliation.
What makes this stand out for fans is how hiring works behind closed doors. Teams often pay outside firms to grade leadership, personality and fit, and those grades can shape who gets an interview and who gets the job.
