On February 1, 2022, Brian Flores filed a discrimination lawsuit against the NFL, accusing the league of systemic racism in head coach hiring practices. The lawsuit came shortly after the Miami Dolphins fired him as head coach. He sued the Dolphins, the New York Giants, and the Denver Broncos. Soon, former NFL coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton joined hands with Flores and brought their former employers, the Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, and Tennessee Titans, into the mix as well. But this week, Flores made a move that will drag nearly the entire league into this situation.

“Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has subpoenaed 25 NFL teams – in addition to the six he is suing – for information about their hiring practices as part of his long-running discrimination lawsuit against the NFL, a new court filing shows,” Front Office Sports’ Daniel Kaplan reported on May 19. “That brings nearly the entire NFL in some fashion into his case, likely omitting only his current employer.”

The latest development arrives as Flores prepares to submit another amended complaint on Wednesday, marking the second time this year he has expanded the allegations. From the beginning, the case accused the league of systemic racism in the way head coaches are hired, and each new filing has continued to widen both the scope of the claims and the pressure surrounding the NFL.

“The proposed Third Amended Complaint also improperly purports to add a brand new claim for retaliation against the NFL that in no way responds to, let alone cures, the deficiencies in the Second Amended Complaint,” the league wrote last week to the judge overseeing this case. “In any event, that claim too—asserting supposed retaliation based upon the NFL’s enforcement of its arbitration provisions in employment agreements that this Court found to be binding upon the parties, is meritless.”

Here’s the thing: For years, the lawsuit couldn’t move ahead as the NFL pushed to move the original dispute into arbitration. In March 2023, Judge Valerie Caproni ruled that claims involving the Dolphins, Cardinals, and Titans could proceed to arbitration because those teams employed Flores, Wilks, and Horton. However, she also allowed the claims against the Giants, Texans, and Broncos to stay in court because they never officially hired the three plaintiffs.

In August 2025, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Caproni’s split ruling after months of appeals and cross-appeals. But the court also delivered a major blow to the NFL’s stance, stating that “Commissioner Roger Goodell’s unilateral authority to arbitrate was ‘plainly unenforceable.’” The NFL constitution allows Goodell to be the final arbiter in such cases, even when he is named as a defendant. He gets the power to sound a ruling despite being involved in the complaint. Naturally, this decision shifted momentum toward Brian Flores and the other plaintiffs.

Since then, Flores has aggressively expanded the case. According to a recent filing, he submitted more than 1,000 document requests and sent “sweeping document subpoenas” to the 25 NFL teams, seeking hiring-related records from the past 24 years. With the proceedings remaining in court, the NFL can’t keep a lot of information away from the public now.

Brian Flores’ original allegations against the teams

Flores was fired by the Miami Dolphins in 2022, despite having brought the first pair of back-to-back winning seasons since 2003. He revealed in the filings that he was offered $100,000 per loss to ensure Miami had the first pick in the draft.

As for the Giants and Broncos, Flores alleged that both organizations brought him in for what he described as “sham” interviews conducted only to satisfy the requirements of the Rooney Rule rather than as legitimate opportunities to hire him. A few months later, the coach expanded the case by filing an amended complaint that added new accusations against both the Houston Texans and the Miami Dolphins.

Flores alleged the Texans removed him from consideration for their head-coaching opening because of the lawsuit, while also claiming the Dolphins tried to recover money they had previously paid him in retaliation for taking legal action.

Now, he plans to file another amended complaint. The NFL has declined to comment on this development, though the league continues to insist that Flores’ lawsuit lacks merit.

Even if the league wins some legal arguments, the constant scrutiny around hiring practices keeps the Rooney Rule debate alive. 

The NFL is already under attack with the Rooney Rule

In March, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier warned the NFL that the Rooney Rule violates Florida law by putting “non-diverse” candidates at a disadvantage. He claimed that the league’s hiring policies are against the Florida Civil Rights Act, which bars employers from considering sex, race, or other protected characteristics during hiring.

Uthmeier has outright called for the rule to be changed and has threatened the league with enforcement actions, per ESPN.

On May 13, Uthmeier issued an investigative subpoena demanding the NFL turn over employment-related records by June 12 and appear in his office by that date. After receiving the notice of that probe, the NFL quietly made some amendments, which focused on removing references to “inclusive hiring” from its website. The NFL also clarified that the hiring decisions ultimately remain with the teams. But the Attorney General took notice.

Last week, Uthmeier sent another letter claiming that the NFL’s updated language also heightened his concerns. He pointed out that the change could mislead consumers under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. So, this can turn into another major legal battle for the NFL around the Rooney Rule and other hiring practices.

The Rooney rule mandates teams to interview at least two external minority coaches for the roles of head coach, general manager, and coordinators. One such coach is to be interviewed for the quarterbacks coach position.

The NFL has no choice but to comply with Uthmeier’s demands. But ironically, some of the defenses the league will use against Florida’s investigation could complicate its position in the Brian Flores lawsuit.