The New Orleans Saints are one of many teams that have considered former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores for their opening following the resignation of Sean Payton.
The question now surrounds Flores’ class-action lawsuit against the NFL and its teams, claiming systemic racism in the head coach interview process around the league.
In an interesting turn, Flores’ interview with the New Orleans Saints came the very same day that he filed said lawsuit in the United States District Court of Southern New York. It was not yet known then whether Flores informed the Saints of the lawsuit, in which they are an unnamed defendant, before interviewing with the organization.
We now have some more information on this courtesy of Saints general manager Mickey Loomis. Speaking to reporters from the site of this weekend’s Senior Bowl in Alabama, Loomis noted that Flores had not informed them of the lawsuit prior to the interview.
He did tell the powers that be within the organization of the suit before it became public record, but that came following said interview. Loomis also indicated that Flores is an “impressive candidate.”
Brian Flores makes media rounds as New Orleans Saints interview candidates
Earlier on Wednesday, Flores made his media rounds to discuss the lawsuit. He specifically talked about the possibility of never coaching in the NFL again as the face of the class-action.
“If change comes, and I never coach again, it’ll be worth it,” Flores said in an interview with ESPN.
Among other things, the lawsuit focused on the Colin Kaepernick-led national anthem protests that started back in 2016 and eventually resulted in the quarterback settling out of court with the NFL after he claimed collusion on the part of the league and its teams. Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since December of 2016 despite showing interest in a return to the gridiron.
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As for the Saints’ opening, they were behind the proverbial eight-ball from the beginning. Payton’s surprising decision to resign came after other teams with openings had already started the interview process. That includes the New York Giants, who eventually hired Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll — a situation that’s at the heart of the Flores’ lawsuit.
In addition to Flores, the Saints have had discussions with Doug Pederson and Aaron Glenn for their head-coaching opening. They are also expected to interview two internal candidates in that of defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.
Whether the Flores’ lawsuit plays a role in the New Orleans Saints’ decision-making process remains to be seen. It is an interesting situation given that the organization is one of the unnamed teams within the lawsuit itself.