The amended complaint, filed Thursday in New York’s Southern District, includes new allegations of discrimination against the Cardinals, the Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans. The complaint also included eight NFL change proposals “to create a future with equal opportunities for black candidates”, including promoting Black ownership, increased transparency in recruitment and dismissal, and increased visibility for assistant coaches. of the Blacks and an increased pipeline for the black coaches. An NFL spokesman declined to comment on the amended complaint. In the amended complaint, Horton claims that the Titans did a “fake interview” with him about their coach’s vacancy in January 2016, when the team had already decided to hire Mike Mullarki. At the time, Horton was the Titans’ defensive coordinator and Mularkey, who is white, was the team’s interim coach. Horton claims that his interview for the position of coach of the team was conducted in such a way that the Titans appeared to have complied with Rooney’s Rule and had “given equal opportunities to the black candidates” before announcing the “predetermined recruitment decision”. [Mularkey] as a coach “. The complaint cites a 2020 podcast interview in which Mularkey said he regretted the process that led him to become the coach of the Titans. “I allowed myself at one point when I was in Tennessee to get caught up in something I regret, and I still regret it, but the owner there, Amy Adams Strunk and her family, came in and told me I was going to be the coach. “In 2016, before they went through Rooney’s rule,” Mullarki said. “And so I sat there knowing that I was the head coach in 2016, as they went through this fake recruitment process knowing, knowing many of the coaches they interviewed, knowing how ready they were to go through these interviews, knowing that everything could and did not they had no chance of getting this job. “ Horton said in a statement Thursday that he was “devastated and humiliated” when he learned that his interview with the Titans was a scam. “By participating in this cause, I hope to turn this experience into a positive one and make a lasting change and create real equal opportunities in the future,” he said. In a statement on Thursday, the Titans defended their search for a new coach in 2016. “Our search for the 2016 coach was a thoughtful and competitive process, fully in line with NFL guidelines and our own organizational values,” the team said. “We conducted detailed, in-person interviews with four talented people, two of whom were different candidates. No decision was made and no decision was announced before all the interviews were completed. While we are proud of our commitment to diversity, we are committed to continuous development as an organization to promote diversity and integration into our workplace and our community “. Flores’s initial lawsuit contained a claim against Dolphins owner Stephen Ross that Ross told Flores he would pay him $ 100,000 for each loss during the coach’s first season in 2019, in a bid to get No. 1 selection in the NFL Draft of 2020. Ross denied the allegations. According to court testimony Thursday, Flores, now the Pittsburgh Steelers’s senior defense assistant / linebacker, reportedly sent a note on December 4, 2019, to Dolphins GM Chris Grier, CEO Tom Garfinkel and senior Brandon Shore for Ross’ desire to lose. toys and the “toxicity that existed within the body”. NFL.com contacted Dolphins for comment. The amended complaint also included allegations of “retaliation” by Texans against Flores as a result of his initial lawsuit. Flores claims he was not hired to replace David Caley, a black man who was sacked after a 4-13 season as coach of the Texans because Flores sued the league and “spoke publicly about systemic racism in the NFL . “ The complaint cites a Feb. 6 report that Flores and former NFL general Josh McCown were the obvious finalists for the Houston coaching position, and claims that the team was “concerned” that if they hired McCown, who is white, “On February 8, the Texans hired Lovie Smith, who is Black and served as Culley’s defensive coordinator, to be their next manager. . “The search for our coach was very thorough and comprehensive,” the Texans said in a statement Thursday. “Because of his previous success as an NFL coach, Brian Flores was one of the first candidates to be formally interviewed for the position and remained a candidate until the end. We have a lot of respect for Brian both personally and professionally; he has been a competitive coach in the league for several years and his resume speaks for itself. We enjoyed our many conversations with Brian about his vision for our organization, which included a personal meeting with the McNair family and General Nick Caserio. In the end, we made the decision to hire Lovie Smith as our coach and we believe he is the best for our team to move on. It was a very fluid process that allowed us to spend time with many quality candidates. “We are proud of our decision and we will strongly defend our process.” Participating in the lawsuit, Steve Wilks claims that he was hired as a “bridge coach” by the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 and was fired “unfairly and with discrimination” after a season at the club. Wilks claims there are differences in the way he was treated compared to GM Steve Keim, who is white. Wilks describes being at a “serious disadvantage” in his first season as coach due to Keim’s five-week dismissal following a DUI arrest, which left Keim missing the Cardinals’ training camp and much of their preseason. Wilks claims that while Keim was suspended, GM was involved in contract negotiations for David Johnson’s candidacy. In addition, Wilks said in the complaint that he preferred the spare Cardinals to select Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL Draft, while Keim preferred a deal to select Josh Rosen. Allen has done a Pro Bowl so far in his career and has emerged as one of the league’s top generals, while Rosen has endured a season in Arizona. Wilkes made a distinction about how he was fired after a 3-13 season in Arizona, while Came received a four-year contract extension a month later. He also noted that the current Cardinals coach, Kliff Kingsbury, who is white, had a “much bigger leash” to succeed after 5-10-1 in his first season. “The decisions we made after the 2018 season were very difficult,” the Cardinals said in a statement on Thursday. “But, as we said at the time, it was entirely driven by what was in the best interest of our organization and necessary for the betterment of the team. We are confident that the facts reflect this and prove that these allegations are untrue.” Wilkes, currently the assistant coach at the Carolina Panthers, said in a statement Thursday that he hoped the lawsuit would help achieve racial equality in the league. “When coach Flores filed this lawsuit, I knew I owed it to myself, and to all the black NFL coaches and aspiring coaches, to stand by him,” he said. “This education has shed further light on a problem that we all know exists, but very few are willing to deal with. Black coaches and candidates should have exactly the same ability to work and stay employed as white coaches. and the candidates. “
