Brian Flores says he knows the reason he was fired in Miami.
Flores' bombshell lawsuit against the NFL rocked the football world on Tuesday, but his quest to set the record straight and prove his case is just getting underway. Flores revealed a bit more about the lawsuit Wednesday on "CBS Mornings," and said that the ultimate end of his career in Miami boiled down to refusing to lose games for better draft position.
Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores, whose lawsuit accuses the NFL of racism in hiring coaches, tells #CBSMornings: “We’re at a fork in the road right now. We’re either gonna keep it the way it is, or we’re gonna go in another direction and actually make some real change.” pic.twitter.com/8n4nTBlPIc
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 2, 2022
MORE: Read the text messages that sparked Brian Flores' lawsuit against NFL
Flores has alleged that owner Stephen Ross offered $100,000 to lose games — essentially, tank the 2019 season — so that Miami would have a better draft selection in 2020.
From the court filing:
Indeed, during the 2019 season, Miami’s owner, Stephen Ross, told Mr. Flores that he would pay him $100,000 for every loss, and the team’s General Manager, Chris Grier, told Mr. Flores that “Steve” was “mad” that Mr. Flores’ success in winning games that year was “compromising [the team’s] draft position. …
Mr. Flores’ only failure to collaborate was his refusal to tank the 2019 season as had been requested by Mr. Ross. When he refused, and then over-performed and led the team to winning records in two consecutive seasons with a roster few experts predicted could do so—he was fired.
"This game changed my life. So to attack the integrity of the game, that's what I felt was happening in that instance, and I wouldn't stand for it," Flores said on CBS.
When asked how much Ross' pay-for-losses bribe hurt his career in Miami, Flores spoke in definitive terms:
"I think it hurt my standing within the organization, and ultimately, it was the reason why I was let go."
MORE: Everything you need to know about Brian Flores' lawsuit against the NFL
Coincidentally, recent reports indicate that the Dolphins were extraordinarily hot after quarterback Joe Burrow, who was the prized No. 1 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. The Dolphins reportedly offered three first-round picks to move up to No. 1 to select Burrow, which Cincinnati ultimately declined.
Flores has interviewed with the Giants, Bears and Texans after being stunningly fired by the Dolphins in January, but has acknowledged that his lawsuit may signal the end of his NFL coaching career.