LAS VEGAS — A document prepared during the Las Vegas Raiders’ most recent head-coaching search has placed the organization in the middle of Brian Flores’ ongoing discrimination lawsuit against the NFL.
A previously sealed recruiting memo prepared by executive search firm Korn Ferry evaluated Flores as a potential candidate for the Raiders before Las Vegas ultimately hired Klint Kubiak. Flores was not interviewed for the position.
Now that the document has become public, Flores’ attorneys contend its language provides evidence supporting their allegations of retaliation and discriminatory hiring practices within the NFL. The claims remain contested and have not been established by a final court judgment.
Memo Included Harsh Assessment of Flores
The document, titled “Brian Flores Strengths and Weaknesses,” contained several highly critical descriptions of the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator. Among other criticisms, the memo characterized Flores as lacking “people skills” and self-awareness and described his personality as unpredictable.
It also referenced criticism from Tua Tagovailoa about Flores’ coaching style. During their time together with the Miami Dolphins and included anonymous statements attributed to NFL executives.
One unnamed senior executive reportedly characterized Flores as the organization’s “worst hiring decision.” Flores’ attorney Michael Willemin told Front Office Sports that some of the descriptions evoke the racial stereotype of an “angry Black man.”
Another passage, presented as a strength, described Flores as polished despite growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and referenced his exposure to wealthy individuals as helping him develop relationships with “white-collar and upper-class individuals.”
Flores’ attorneys argue that language also raises concerns about racial stereotypes influencing how he was evaluated.
Flores’ Attorneys Allege Retaliation
Law firms Wigdor LLP and Elefterakis, Elefterakis & Panek issued a statement following the document’s release. The attorneys argued the memo supports two central allegations in Flores’ case: that he has faced retaliation since suing the NFL and that race continues to affect the league’s head-coaching hiring process.
The NFL and other defendants have disputed Flores’ allegations during the litigation. The memo was prepared as Las Vegas considered candidates for the position that eventually went to Kubiak. The fact that Flores was evaluated but never interviewed could now receive additional attention as the litigation moves forward.
Flores sued the NFL and its teams in February 2022 following his dismissal as Dolphins head coach. His lawsuit alleged racial discrimination in NFL hiring practices and initially specifically named the Dolphins, New York Giants and Denver Broncos.
Coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton later joined the litigation. Flores coached Miami from 2019 through the 2021 season and has also asserted a defamation claim involving the Dolphins. That makes the identity of the anonymous executive quoted in the Korn Ferry memo potentially significant.
If discovery establishes that the “worst hiring decision” comment originated from a Dolphins executive, Flores’ attorneys could seek to use it as evidence related to his claims. Whether it ultimately supports liability would depend on the source, context, admissibility and other evidence developed in the case.
Raiders Now Connected to Larger NFL Debate
The Raiders aren’t accused in the newly released memo of writing the descriptions themselves. The document was prepared by Korn Ferry as part of the club’s coaching search.
But because it was created for Las Vegas while the organization evaluated Flores, its release connects the Raiders’ most recent search to one of the NFL’s most consequential employment discrimination cases.
The memo alone doesn’t establish that Las Vegas discriminated against Flores. What it does provide is a rare public look at how an NFL head-coaching candidate was privately evaluated before an interview ever took place.
And for Flores and his attorneys. The language used in that evaluation is now part of a much larger argument. About whether his 2022 lawsuit changed how NFL organizations view him and whether race. Continues to influence who receives opportunities to become an NFL head coach.
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Robert LaMar is a Deputy Editor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
