A recruiting memo prepared by Korn Ferry for the Las Vegas Raiders’ coaching search became public Tuesday after a judge declined to keep it sealed, according to the source report. The search resulted in Klint Kubiak’s hiring; Brian Flores was not interviewed.
Flores’ attorneys say the document supports their claims that NFL teams retaliated against him for filing a racial-discrimination lawsuit and that racial bias persists in head-coaching hiring. Lawyer Michael Willemin told Front Office Sports that some descriptions in the memo could evoke the stereotype of an “angry Black man.” Flores’ legal team also argued that the candidate profile leaned on racial stereotypes.
The lawsuit was filed in 2022 against the NFL and its 32 teams, with the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos and New York Giants specifically named. Flores, a Black coach who led the Dolphins from 2019 to 2022, alleges discrimination in league hiring practices and separately claims the Dolphins defamed him. Coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton later joined the case.
The memo’s release does not establish that the claims in the lawsuit are true. The source report also notes that Flores had clashed with staff and executives while coaching Miami, including incidents in which he angrily yelled at them. The significance of the memo and the parties’ competing claims remain matters for the ongoing legal process.
