Explosive Lawsuit Hinges On Belichick Texting The Wrong Guy

FOXBOROUGH, MA — A major lawsuit from a former top Patriots assistant coach alleging racism in the NFL hinges on purported texts from Bill Belichick that he sent to the wrong person.

Brian Flores, who was fired last month as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in the Southern District of New York.

In it he claims the New York Giants roped him along in an interview process only to satisfy a league rule requiring minority candidates be interviewed for head coaching positions, even though they had already made up their mind on hiring someone else.

The lawsuit says Flores found out because Belichick, who he served under as a defensive coach from 2008-18, congratulated him in getting the Giants job via text message before Flores even interviewed. The only problem was that Belichick meant to text Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, not Brian Flores.

After Belichick said he heard from the Giants and Bills that the job was a lock, Flores asked if he meant to text Daboll or himself.

"Coach, are you talking to Brian Flores or Brian Daboll. Just making sure," Flores asked.

"Sorry — I f---ed this up," Belichick responded. "I double checked & I misread the text. I think they are naming Daboll. I'm sorry about that. BB."

The lawsuit says Flores then had to sit through a humiliating interview with New York knowing the team had already chosen Daboll, who is white. The only reason he was brought in, according to the lawsuit, was to satisfy the league's Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview minority coaches for head coaching positions.

The lawsuit also levies charges of drunkenness and tanking.

The lawsuit said his interview with the Denver Broncos was delayed an hour when then-general manager John Elway showed up late and hungover. They then hired Vic Fangio, who is white.

"They looked completely disheveled, and it was obvious that they had drinking heavily the night before," the lawsuit read. "It was clear from the substance of the interview that Mr. Flores was interviewed only because of the Rooney Rule, and that the Broncos never had any intention to consider him as a legitimate candidate for the job."

The lawsuit also said Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for each loss Miami had in 2019 to bolster the team's draft position. It alleges Ross was "mad" that Flores was winning games.