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Damning New Accusations Surface from Brian Flores’ Lawsuit vs NFL
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- Damning New Accusations Surface from Brian Flores’ Lawsuit vs NFL
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The Minnesota Vikings agreed to a new contract with defensive coordinator Brian Flores earlier this offseason, a process that proved stressful, given he took multiple interviews before eventually returning for what's believed to be one of the highest paid assistants in NFL history.
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Of course, it wouldn't have mattered how much money owners Mark and Zygi Wilf threw B-Flo's way, had he gotten a head coaching opportunity elsewhere. Thankfully, at least for MN Vikings fans, he did not get that HC offer, which paved the way for his return.
At that point, it was just about making Flores a market-competitive DC offer. The Wilfs gladly obliged, and more . However, there's a reason Brian Flores hasn't been getting looks as a head coach in recent offseason. Many believe it's due to the giant lawsuit he hung over the league's head three years ago, one that remains there to this day.
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Most recently, the 45-year-old coach landed his latest in a string of legal victory over the league he works for, when the Supreme Court ruled that his case against he NFL can remain in the US court system (and outside of the NFL's in-house arbitration process), which Flores alleges is rigged.
Brian Flores has beaten the NFL's preferred system of in-house arbitration. pic.twitter.com/KlxIXR6diF
— PFT Live (@PFT_Live) May 27, 2026
Additional Brian Flores' allegations vs Dolphins surface
Then on Saturday, yet another damning allegation was unearthed by ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Florio . Inside court filings submitted by Brian Flores' legal team, Flores is accusing his former employer, the Miami Dolphins , of some rather egregious money-related no-no's, following his termination as Dolphins head coach in 2022.
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According to Florio — a practicing attorney before he launched PFT — Flores is accusing the Dolphins of (a) failing to make scheduled severance payments after he was fired and (b) attempting to make him give back salary the organization paid him as head coach from 2019-2021 .
In paragraph 235 of the third amended complaint, Flores alleges that the Dolphins failed to make contractually-required severance payments. In paragraph 236, Flores claims that the Dolphins also have tried to recover money already paid to Flores.
"To make matters worse, after this lawsuit was filed, the Dolphins filed a letter with Commissioner Goodell seeking an arbitration over claims that Mr. Flores should be required to return hundreds of thousands of dollars of earned income," Flores alleges. "The only reason that the Dolphins filed this request is because Mr. Flores filed this suit and opposed the team's discriminatory conduct."
Florio says that there are no additional details into Flores' financial allegations against his former employer, which don't even scratch the surface of his case against the league , in its totality.
That means we have no way of knowing yet, whether or not the Dolphins were ever forced to make the severance payments he claims they didn't OR why the Dolphins allegedly filed to recoup money they had already paid him.
It might be time for NFL to wave white flag and settle with Brian Flores
If this case continues on through US justice system — which it now will unless it is settled outside of court — we will likely get the answers to those questions and more, which is why Florio wouldn't be surprised if, sooner than later, the NFL tries to settle with Flores outside of court.
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Because the last thing the league wants — even less than losing to Brian Flores — is the airing out of all their dirty laundry during the public discovery phase of any trial against the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator.
Barring a settlement (and this could be a good time for the league to start making offers to Flores in an effort to keep all sorts of potentially unflattering facts from coming to light) much will be learned about all aspects of Flores's claims against the NFL, the Dolphins, and multiple other teams.
Brian Flores went 24-25 during his three seasons as Miami Dolphins head coach, where he failed to make the postseason. In his lawsuit, the Minnesota Vikings' DC accuses the NFL of being "rife with racism".
He also alleges that the league's refusal to hire him as a head coach, since submitting his case, is not only proof of his original allegations, but also implicit retaliation that he dare go up against the league in the first place.
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