Quote:
Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr
Hef. How would Flores prove to you he was discriminated against?
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Good question. Absent something obvious (like recordings of Ross or other potential NFL bosses making racially inflammatory statements), I'd start with being able to show that he was treated differently - despite nearly identical records - than his white predecessors as Dolphins head coach. And by somehow showing that his otherwise impressive ascent thru the Patriots coaching ranks was thwarted somehow by racism.
Don't get me wrong: If Flores & his legal team are able to prove racism and he makes the NFL pay for it, then good for him. I'm just saying that there's very little to indicate that due to discrimination Flores was fired by Miami and and not hired by other teams.
One of Flores' key contentions is that he was fired for not agreeing to tank. Well, as odious as some of us think tanking is, it's quite common; surely many coaches of any color have been asked - directly or indirectly - to tank as part of a rebuild. But if anyone thinks they can get hired and then directly contradict what their boss wants them to do, without repercussions, they're nuts. Could that be grounds for wrongful termination? Perhaps. But, IMO, in order for that to be discrimination there would have to be some evidence that Flores was being treated differently in a tanking situation than a white coach would be.
So to go back to your question, I would need to see evidence - beyond the fact that Flores is black and got fired after a short and moderately-successful-at-best tenure - that racism actually factored in.
I think I am more inclined to believe their was racism in Flores' other interviews (post Miami). But his firing from Miami - and his airing of Ross' dirty laundry - don't point to discrimination, to me anyway. I'm certainly willing to listen to other evidence and arguments.