Supreme Court won’t intervene in discrimination suit led by Black ex-head coach Flores against NFL

The Supreme Court has declined to intervene in a discrimination lawsuit filed by former NFL coach Brian Flores and other Black coaches against the league. The NFL had appealed a lower court decision, seeking to have the case resolved through arbitration instead of a public trial. By refusing to hear the NFL's appeal, the Supreme Court allows the lawsuit, which alleges systemic racism in NFL hiring practices for Black coaches, to proceed in court. Flores, joined by coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, sued the league and several teams in February 2022. Justice Brett Kavanaugh dissented from the Court's decision not to take up the case.

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by the National Football League (NFL) and three teams—the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and Houston Texans—seeking to move Brian Flores' racial discrimination case to NFL-controlled arbitration. The lower court had previously ruled that the NFL could not compel Flores, a former Miami Dolphins head coach, to arbitrate his workplace bias claims through a process overseen by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Flores' 2022 lawsuit alleges systematic discrimination against Black coaches by the NFL and several teams, violating federal and state laws. He claims he was subjected to "sham interviews" with the Giants and Broncos to comply with the Rooney Rule, which requires minority candidates to be interviewed for coaching positions. Two other Black coaches, Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, have joined Flores as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.