In his Tuesday lawsuit, former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores alleged Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross offered to pay Flores to purposely lose games in order to secure a higher pick in the NFL draft and encouraged Flores to purposely violate league tampering rules.
Flores described the situation on CNN Wednesday morning. The former Miami head coach was asked if Ross explicitly told him he would give Flores $100,000 for each game he would lose: “Yes he did. That’s not something you make up… there were several conversations about, ‘Take a vacation. We don’t need to win right now. You’re going to keep your job. You’ve signed a contract.’
“I’ve got a group of men in that locker room that I need to look them in the eye and … let them know I’m helping them reach their potential, we’re trying to win games. I was never going to stand for that. I would say that strained a lot of the relationships in Miami.”
Flores said his refusal to accept money to lose and refusal to tamper with players contributed to him being fired.
“Absolutely. 100%. I think that strained a lot of the relationships and not necessarily in the building.
“I implore people to talk to the people in the Miami Dolphins building. From a culture standpoint and from a relationship standpoint, I go out of my way to try to make people feel appreciated and that was certainly the case. I’m looking forward to hearing those people speak about their relationships with me.”
Via the Dolphins’ organization, Ross released a statement denying Flores’ claims.
“With regards to the allegations being made by Brian Flores, I am a man of honor and integrity and cannot let them stand without responding. I take great personal exception to these malicious attacks, and the truth must be known. His allegations are false, malicious and defamatory,” Ross said.
“We understand there are media reports stating that the NFL intends to investigate his claims, and we will cooperate fully. I welcome that investigation and I am eager to defend my personal integrity, and the integrity and values of the entire Miami Dolphins organization, from these baseless, unfair and disparaging claims.”
The Dolphins told CNN in a statement, “We are aware of the lawsuit through the media reports that came out this afternoon. We vehemently deny any allegations of racial discrimination and are proud of the diversity and inclusion throughout our organization.
“The implication that we acted in a manner inconsistent with the integrity of the game is incorrect. We will be withholding further comment on the lawsuit at this time.”
When asked for comment, the NFL told CNN, “The NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations.
“Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit.”