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Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores got candid about the explosive lawsuit he filed against the NFL, saying he was “humiliated” by going into an interview with the Giants for a head coaching position he knew he wasn’t going to get.
“It was a range of emotions,” Flores said while appearing on “CBS Mornings” Wednesday. “Humiliation. Disbelief. Anger. I worked so hard to get where I am in football to become a head coach. To go in on what was a sham interview, I was hurt.”
Flores was scheduled to interview for the Giants’ then-vacant head coaching position, but learned through a text conversation with Bill Belichick, his former boss with the Patriots, that the team had already made the decision to hire Brian Daboll. Belichick appeared to be under the impression he was texting Daboll, and attempted to congratulate him on the hire.
Flores’ attorneys, also appearing on CBS, asserted that the Giants were “just trying to comply with the Rooney Rule,” a rule enacted by the league that requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and football operations jobs.
A rule, that Flores stated, has been twisted far beyond its original meaning.
“The Rooney Rule was intended to give minorities an opportunity to sit down with ownership,” Flores said. “What it’s turned into, it’s just guys checking a box.”
Why, then, did Flores still attend the Giants interview, knowing it was a sham?
“Call it the audacity of hope. I have a belief that there’s good in people. I just do,” Flores said.
The Giants responded on Tuesday when the allegations first surfaced against their franchise.
“We are pleased and confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Daboll,” the Giants said in a statement. “We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates. The fact of the matter is, Brian Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach.”
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