Lawyers Claim Unsealed Korn Ferry Report on Brian Flores Features Racial Stereotypes
Attorneys argue an unsealed Korn Ferry recruiting report on Brian Flores relies on racial stereotypes and amounts to unlawful retaliation by the NFL.
POLICY WIRE — New York, United States — A newly unsealed executive search firm report regarding football coach Brian Flores contains multiple instances of racial stereotypes, according to legal counsel representing the current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator.
The Korn Ferry evaluation, which surfaced publicly on Tuesday after first being published by Front Office Sports, was originally assembled in connection with the Las Vegas Raiders’ 2024 head coaching vacancy. The document details six distinct strengths and seven negative traits.
Attorney Michael J. Willemin argued in a formal statement that the recently unsealed paperwork highlights ongoing systemic hiring discrimination across the league alongside unlawful retaliation for Flores’ active discrimination lawsuit against the National Football League. Representatives for the NFL did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment on the matter.
Among the positive attributes noted in the assessment, the document stated that Flores is a polished and a good presenter despite growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn (same as Mike Tyson), adding that he built a strong friendship with a billionaire’s son to learn relationship-building with upper-class individuals. Brownsville is widely recognized as a predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhood in Brooklyn.
Conversely, the negative points claimed that Flores can fool you with his polish upwards, possesses limited people skills, lacks self-awareness, and can occasionally exhibit erratic behavior. The evaluation cited comments from former Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as having opened the narrative that Flores was pessimistic and adversarial, which shattered player confidence.
Additional criticisms included assertions that Flores maintains an unpredictable personality, once threatened violence toward his general manager, and issued irrational demands during an owner meeting. Furthermore, the report cited an anonymous senior executive who stated that Flores may have changed since, but was historically the worst hiring decision the organization ever made, while noting that his pending litigation could create a distraction.
Flores, who is Black, initially filed a lawsuit against the NFL and three member franchises in February 2022, asserting that league hiring practices regarding Black head coaches were deeply flawed and plagued by racism following his dismissal by the Miami Dolphins. Fellow coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton later joined the legal action.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
