Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has broadened the scope of his racial-discrimination lawsuit against the NFL, as his legal team has filed subpoenas to 25 teams.
While the identities of the 25 franchises remain unknown, Flores’ legal team has “served more than 1,000 discovery requests” in their quest to obtain hiring records and communications from teams.
Flores has filed suit against the NFL and three specific franchises – the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and Houston Texans.
The suit was filed in 2022, was filed soon after the Miami Dolphins fired Flores as their head coach. The longtime defensive coordinator-turned head coach expected to be retained by Miami after his team nearly qualified for the playoffs that year following a rough start.
However, not only was he not retained by Miami, but he also wasn’t hired by anyone else either.
Flores claimed that the Giants and Broncos interviewed him for coaching gigs without any intention of hiring him. The 45-year-old expanded the suit to include the Texans after the team, according to Flores, withdrew its consideration of him for its head coaching position in response to his lawsuit against the other teams.
Judge Valerie E. Caproni ordered Flores’ camp to file amended briefs on Wednesday, while the NFL has the ability to file motions to dismiss un until June 5. The judge also set forth a schedule for the filing of additional briefs.
A judgment on the merits of these filings will determine whether the lawsuit can proceed.