All Things 2025 Minnesota Vikings In-Season Thread
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GopherWeatherGuy
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Will be really interesting to see if someone gives him another shot at being a head coach or tries to poach him as a DC.
Yes. Bad QB play and also the free agent misses. Still 9-8 with a win Sunday. I know KOC took his lumps at times throughout the season, but he has to get some credit here when all is said and done.
Hearing speculation now regarding if Flores makes a lateral move to a team with a better QB situation. Gotta be frustrating for Flores at times that his side of the ball has to do all the heavy lifting.
Gopher_In_NYC
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Regarding Flores, I don’t foresee him being pursued as a HC, as his lawsuit against the NFL & three teams is still active, after the NFL’s request for arbitration was denied.
Here is an article from CBS Sports and also a summation with more details from Chat GPT, which is accurate, based on what I’ve read.
www.cbssports.com
——————
What the Lawsuit Is About
Background & Key Allegations
Some of the notable claims in the complaint include:
Legal Battles & Recent Developments
Court of Appeals Says Case Can Go to Trial
Ongoing Litigation
Why It Matters
The lawsuit goes beyond just Flores’ personal situation — it addresses what he and others describe as systemic racial bias in NFL hiring practices, especially in high-profile leadership roles where Black representation has historically lagged behind the player base.
Should Flores prevail or reach a significant settlement, it could have wide implications for NFL hiring rules and diversity initiatives.
Where things stand
Here is an article from CBS Sports and also a summation with more details from Chat GPT, which is accurate, based on what I’ve read.
Court of Appeals upholds ruling in Brian Flores' lawsuit vs. the NFL; three teams could go to trial
The court found insurmountable flaws with the NFL's arbitration process
www.cbssports.com
——————
What the Lawsuit Is About
- Brian Flores, a Black football coach and former Miami Dolphins head coach, filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the National Football League (NFL) and several teams, including the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and Houston Texans.
- He alleges that he and other qualified Black coaches were subjected to discriminatory hiring practices — including “sham” interviews where teams interviewed him to comply with the league’s diversity rules without serious intent to hire him.
- The lawsuit claims systemic bias in hiring for head coach, coordinator, and front-office jobs, and seeks class-action status, unspecified damages, and changes to NFL hiring practices.
Background & Key Allegations
Some of the notable claims in the complaint include:
- The Giants allegedly decided on another (white) coach before interviewing Flores for their head coaching job, and a text message from Bill Belichick was used as evidence showing the Giants’ intentions.
- The Broncos interview in 2019 was allegedly perfunctory and insincere.
- While coaching the Dolphins, Flores says he was pressured to lose games (“tank”) for draft advantages and to recruit a prominent quarterback, and was then fired after pushing back.
- Other Black coaches — Steve Wilks and Ray Horton — later joined the lawsuit with similar allegations.
Legal Battles & Recent Developments
Court of Appeals Says Case Can Go to Trial
- In August 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals (Second Circuit) ruled that Flores’ lawsuit can proceed in open court, rejecting the NFL’s attempts to force the case into private arbitration under a process controlled by Commissioner Roger Goodell.
- The appeals court agreed with a previous ruling that the league’s arbitration provisions were inadequate and could be invalid.
Ongoing Litigation
- After this ruling, the case is moving toward trial, meaning Flores will argue his claims publicly in federal court rather than behind closed arbitration.
- Flores’ legal team has also criticized the NFL-appointed arbitrator for delaying progress, saying the arbitration process has been slow and stalling.
Why It Matters
The lawsuit goes beyond just Flores’ personal situation — it addresses what he and others describe as systemic racial bias in NFL hiring practices, especially in high-profile leadership roles where Black representation has historically lagged behind the player base.
Should Flores prevail or reach a significant settlement, it could have wide implications for NFL hiring rules and diversity initiatives.
Where things stand
- The lawsuit survived procedural challenges and is set to be tried in court rather than forced into private arbitration.
- The NFL continues to defend its hiring practices and may seek further appeals or other legal maneuvers.