A report about Brian Flores prepared by recruiter Korn Ferry for the Las Vegas Raiders as part of one of the team's recent coach-hiring cycles was unsealed on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Attorneys representing Flores say the report "leans heavily on racial stereotypes" that NFL teams use in evaluating Black coaches.
"The recently unsealed documents demonstrate two unfortunate, but unsurprising, realities," Flores' attorney Douglas H. Wigdor told Front Office Sports. "First, that Mr. Flores' decision to hold the league and its teams accountable for systemic race discrimination has been met with unlawful retaliation. Second, discrimination continues to play a significant role in the hiring process for NFL Head Coaches, as evidenced by the fact that the candidate
profile prepared for the Raiders leans heavily on racial stereotypes."
Korn Ferry's report was divided into columns that included "strength" and "weaknesses." Flores' attorneys alleged both lists contained racial stereotypes.
That included, on the positive side, a point that implied someone from Brownsville – which is 81% Black and Hispanic – could only succeed by meeting a wealthy individual's family member, as Wigdor explained.
"Polished and a good presenter despite growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn (same as Mike Tyson)," the Korn Ferry report reads. "He was able to build a strong friendship with a billionaire’s son which gave him opportunities to socialize and learn how to build relationships with white-collar and upper-class individuals.”
Meanwhile, on the negative side, the Korn Ferry report included a line that Flores "can fool you with his polish upwards." Another of his attorneys, Michael Willemin, described the comment to Front Office Sports as "racially offensive way in which someone might comment upon a Black man being articulate, as though it is surprising for a Black man to be articulate (or, in this case, polished)."
Additionally, Willemin described the following statement as conjuring images of the "angry Black man" stereotype.
“Chip on his shoulder – can be a dictator with players, coaches, and can even be difficult with ownership," the Korn Ferry report read. "His personality is unpredictable – not sure who is going to show up. Failed in how he hires coordinators and staff because he doesn’t give second chances or see efforts to improve."
"Needs someone strong at the top to reign (sic) in some of his worst behavior," it continued. "He once threatened violence to his GM and made irrational demands during an ownership meeting. One long-time senior team executive said, 'He may have changed since, but he was the worst hiring decision we’ve ever made'. Another President of a club refused to talk about him."
The Korn Ferry report also notes that Flores' ongoing litigation against the NFL could be a "distraction," which Willemin cited as evidence of retaliation.
Flores, who is currently the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, originally sued the NFL in 2022. He alleged racial discrimination by the league and several of its teams in the hiring process for new head coaches.
Flores' suit contains claims that teams conduct "sham interviews" with minority candidates to satisfy the league's "Rooney Rule" – which mandates that every NFL team must interview two non-white candidates for every head coach, general manager and coordinator position – despite alleged preferences to hire a white candidate.
Flores' suit was brought against the NFL but also targets the Miami Dolphins, for whom he coached from 2019 to 2021, and three teams that interviewed him for coaching jobs: the New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Recruiting firm's Brian Flores report 'leans heavily on racial stereotypes,' attorneys say
