The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York denied motions for reconsideration in Brian Flores’ racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and three teams.
It denied the motion to compel arbitration from Flores’ claims against the NFL, New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans, meaning those claims will now be heard in court.
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The team representing Flores, Steve Wilks, Ray Horton and the other coaches moved for reconsideration, and the NFL’s side cross-moved for reconsideration.
The court and Judge Valerie Caproni denied the coaches’ motions for reconsideration on Tuesday, citing legal standard and Flores’ previous contracts with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. They also denied the league’s motions for reconsideration, saying they “previously considered at length and rejected” the arguments the league was presenting.
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Flores sued the NFL, Dolphins, Broncos and Giants in February 2022 alleging discrimination. This past March, Caproni rejected the option of arbitration, allowing Flores to pursue his claims in court.
A pretrial conference is now scheduled for Aug. 4 in New York City. The two parties must submit a joint letter by July 27.
The Minnesota Vikings named Flores their new defensive coordinator in February, just days after he sued the NFL. Wilks was named the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator this offseason, taking the place of new Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans. Horton is a former NFL assistant coach and is now the head coach of the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers.
NFL
Wilks’ claims against the Arizona Cardinals and Horton’s against the Tennessee Titans will proceed to arbitration, where NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will presumably be the arbitrator.
