Judge: Brian Flores' case vs. Dolphins must go through arbitration process
A federal judge offered former Dolphins coach Brian Flores a split decision Wednesday, ruling that his discrimination claims against three NFL teams can be heard in court but his claims against the Dolphins must go through arbitration.
Although the NFL hasn’t said who would hear the arbitration case, Commissioner Roger Goodell could select himself.
Judge Valerie Caproni also ruled in New York that claims by two other coaches who joined Flores’ suit, Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, also must go through arbitration.
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Flores sued the NFL, including the Dolphins, last year after being fired by Miami, claiming the league was “rife with racism” in its hiring practices. Flores said he knew he was risking his career with the suit but found work as a defensive assistant to Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh last season. He recently was named defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings.
Caproni criticized the league for its lack of minority hires, saying it’s “incredibly troubling” and “difficult to understand.” She said she found it “worrisome” that the NFL issued a statement saying the claims lacked merit immediately after Flores’ suit became known.
“We are pleased that Coach Flores’ class claims of systematic discrimination against the NFL and several teams will proceed in court and ultimately before a jury of his peers,” Flores’ lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, said in a statement.
“We are disappointed the court compelled arbitration of any claims before Mr. Goodell as he is obviously biased and unqualified to rule on these matters. We expect him to delegate those matters to a truly neutral arbitrator as a matter of fundamental fairness. We look forward to pursuing all these claims to trial in their various forums.”
Caproni did retain the option to review Goodell’s decision if he is the arbitrator.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com and followed on Twitter @gunnerhal.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Judge: Brian Flores vs. the Dolphins must go through arbitration
