Brian Flores Unhappy with Dolphins' Attempt to Resolve Dispute Through Arbitration

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said Wednesday the Dolphins are "trying to push" the allegations he levied in a lawsuit against them "into secret arbitration proceedings that lack transparency."

Flores also questioned whether NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will "allow this case and future race discrimination claims to play out in a transparent and public legal process":

The 41-year-old, who has since joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach, filed suit against the NFL and named three teams as defendants. He asserted the league "remains rife with racism, particularly when it comes to the hiring and retention of Black head coaches, coordinators and general managers."

In one of the more explosive allegations, Flores said Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for every game the team lost in 2019 as it entered a rebuild.

Ross denied the allegations laid out in the lawsuit but remains the subject of a league investigation. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported in February the "discipline could be severe, up to and including Ross losing the team by a vote of fellow owners."

The ongoing lawsuit has also put the NFL under the spotlight. Concerns similar to those voiced by Flores have been echoed for years.

The NFL initially responded to the suit on Feb. 1 and said it "will defend against these claims, which are without merit." Four days later, however, Goodell wrote a memo to all 32 teams and explained the matter would be vetted thoroughly, striking a different tone from the NFL's previous statement:

Flores gave an interview to CBS Mornings in February and said how his lawsuit was "bigger than coaching," alluding to any professional repercussions he might experience.

"We're at a fork in the road right now," he said (h/t CBS Sports' Jordan Dajani). "We're either gonna keep it the way it is, or we're gonna go in another direction and actually make some real change."

In recent months, many criticized what they saw as a lack of transparency regarding the details unearthed during the NFL's investigation into the workplace culture of the Washington Commanders. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform even inserted itself into the matter.

If Flores' suit is sent to arbitration, those critics will likely raise the same questions over the NFL's desire to meaningfully address the problems that were laid out.