Roger Goodell Addresses NFL’s Diversity Issues, Allegations in Flores Lawsuit

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said during a news conference that the league “fell short ... by a lot” on hiring Black and minority coaches. 

“I don’t think you take anything off the table until you have people look at that, help us independently say, ‘Is there something flawed with our process?’” he said of the league’s interview process. "And if there is, what can we do to resolve that and fix that?”

There are currently only five minority head coaches within the league as two were fired and two were hired this offseason. Goodell said every option is on the table, including replacing the league’s Rooney Rule. As written today, it says NFL teams must interview two minority candidates when looking for a new head coach.

“We believe in diversity,” Goodell said Wednesday. “We believe it has made us stronger. People who have come into the league who are diverse have been very successful and made us better, and we just have to do a better job. ... Is there another thing that we can do to make sure that we’re attracting the best talent and making our league more inclusive? If I had the answer right now, I would give it to you. I would have implemented it.

"I think we have to continue to look and find and step back and say, 'We're not doing a good enough job here.' We need to find better solutions and better outcomes. Let's find more effective policies. Let's make sure everyone understands. Let's make sure that we're looking at diversity and incentivizing that for everybody in our building.

Goodell’s remarks come days after news broke that former Dolphins coach Brian Flores is suing the league, three franchises and unidentified individuals, alleging discrimination and racism in hiring practices. Among the complaints listed in the filing, Flores said he took part in two ”sham“ interviews as teams attempted to comply with the Rooney Rule, citing the Giants and Broncos.

The proposed class action states: “The Rooney Rule is also not working because management is not doing the interviews in good-faith, and it therefore creates a stigma that interviews of Black candidates are only being done to comply with the Rooney Rule rather than in recognition of the talents that the Black candidates possess.”

Shortly after the news broke, the league released a statement asserting its commitment to diversity and called Flores's claims “without merit.” However, Goodell reiterated Wednesday that the allegations will be investigated to see if league policies were broken. 

“We won't tolerate racism,” Goodell said, per ESPN. “We won't tolerate discrimination. If there are policies that we need to modify, we're going to do that. If we've seen evidence of discrimination, we will deal with that in a very serious way that will reflect the fact that we won't tolerate that.”

Flores also alleged that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him a $100,000 bonus for each loss during the 2019 season in attempt to secure the league’s worst record and the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft. Flores says he didn’t comply with the request. 

Goodell called the claims, among others, “very disturbing,” adding that the league or other owners “have the authority to remove an owner from the league.” NFL general counsel Jeff Pash confirmed to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer that league bylaws do allow other owners to vote another owner out and force them to sell.