The Las Vegas Raiders could be in hot water after a document prepared by a recruiter for the team's recent head coach search was unsealed on Tuesday. In particular, it included a report that contained racial stereotypes about Brian Flores, who was later hired as defensive coordinator by the Minnesota Vikings.
The document was revealed by Front Office Sports' Daniel Kaplan. Flores, 45, sued the NFL and multiple teams in 2022 for racial discrimination, and the report, which was made by Korn Ferry, could be a smoking gun in the case.
Kaplan pointed out possibly the “most-charged section” of the report.
“Polished and a good presenter despite growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn (same as Mike Tyson). He was able to build a strong friendship with a billionaire's son, which gave him opportunities to socialize and learn how to build relationships with white-collar and upper-class individuals,” wrote Kerry.
Kerry also noted: “He can fool you with his polish upwards.”
Flores' lawyers, Atty. Douglas Wigdor and Atty. Michael Willemin, slammed the report, stressing that it presented “two unfortunate, but unsurprising realities.”
“First, that Mr. Flores' decision to hold the league and its teams accountable for systemic race discrimination has been met with unlawful retaliation. Second, discrimination continues to play a significant role in the hiring process for NFL head coaches, as evidenced by the fact that the candidate profile prepared for the Raiders leans heavily on racial stereotypes,” said Wigdor.
Willemin added that the report discriminated against Flores' intelligence, saying “as though it is surprising for a Black man to be articulate (or in this case, polished).”
Before he filed his lawsuit, Flores was fired as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. He interviewed with the Denver Broncos in 2019 and the New York Giants and the Houston Texans in 2022. The Vikings hired him in 2023.
Flores has helped Minnesota to a 5-0 record this season.