Steelers' Mike Tomlin: I Didn't Want Brian Flores to 'Feel Like He Was On an Island'

The Pittsburgh Steelers hired Brian Flores as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach in February despite his lawsuit against the NFL and three teams that alleges racial discrimination.

Speaking with reporters Sunday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that he felt like he owed it to Flores to bring him in. 

"I just didn't want him to feel like he was on an island," Tomlin said, according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "From a coaching fraternity standpoint, I owed him that. I was in position to provide that. I think that started our interactions and conversations."

Tomlin also praised Steelers owner Art Rooney II for hiring Flores amid his lawsuit against the league.

"To have an opportunity to impact the game in a positive way, to impact society in a positive way, it's continually an honor to be a part of something that the Rooney family started and led for a long time before my existence here," Tomlin said.

Flores is suing the Miami Dolphins for alleged discrimination in his firing by the franchise earlier this offseason. He also alleges discrimination in interview processes with the Denver Broncos and New York Giants. 

Flores was interviewed by the Broncos in 2019 before he accepted the Dolphins job, and he accused team management of arriving late to the interview and being hungover. The Broncos hired Vic Fangio as head coach.

This offseason, the Giants hired former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll after interviewing Flores. Flores said the Giants only interviewed him to satisfy the league's Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview people of color for coaching positions. 

The 41-year-old served as head coach of the Dolphins from 2019 to 2021. He led the team to back-to-back winning seasons, and his eventual firing was a surprise to many given his success.

Now that he's in Pittsburgh, he'll coach a defensive roster that features T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Alex Highsmith, Devin Bush, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Stephon Tuitt. If Flores finds more success with the Steelers, teams that didn't add him during the 2022 hiring cycle will regret it.