Unsealed Flores recruiting memo rife with racial stereotypes, lawyers say

A recruiting firm's report on Brian Flores contains multiple examples of what his lawyers say are racial stereotypes that NFL teams use when evaluating Black coaching candidates.

The memo from recruiter Korn Ferry, prepared for the Las Vegas Raiders during one of their recent coaching searches, was unsealed Tuesday as part of Flores' discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and three of its teams.

"The recently unsealed documents demonstrate two unfortunate, but unsurprising, realities," Flores attorney Douglas H. Wigdor told Front Office Sports, which also published a copy of the Korn Ferry memo.

"First, that Mr. Flores' decision to hold the league and its teams accountable for systemic race discrimination has been met with unlawful retaliation. Second, discrimination continues to play a significant role in the hiring process for NFL Head Coaches, as evidenced by the fact that the candidate profile prepared for the Raiders leans heavily on racial stereotypes."

In its memo to the Raiders, Korn Ferry presented the headline "Brian Flores -- Strengths and Weaknesses" above two corresponding columns.

One of the "strengths" listed by Korn Ferry said that Flores is: "Polished and a good presenter despite growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn (same as Mike Tyson). He was able to build a strong friendship with a billionaire's son which gave him opportunities to socialize and learn how to build relationships with white-collar and upper-class individuals."

Some of Flores' "weaknesses," according to Korn Ferry, are:

• "He can fool you with his polish upwards. Has little people skills, lacks self-awareness and can sometimes exhibit erratic behavior. Tua's statements have opened the narrative that Brian was 'pessimistic and adversarial' and his style 'shattered his confidence.'

• "Chip on his shoulder -- can be a dictator with players, coaches, and can even be difficult with ownership. His personality is unpredictable -- not sure who is going to show up. Failed in how he hires coordinators and staff because he doesn't give second chances or see efforts to improve."

• "Needs someone strong at the top to reign [sic] in some of his worst behavior. He once threatened violence to his GM and made irrational demands during an ownership meeting. One long-time senior team executive said, 'He may have changed since, but he was the worst hiring decision we've ever made.' Another President of a club refused to talk about him."

Flores attorney Michael Willemin told Front Office Sports that the report portrays Flores as an "angry Black man." Willemin cited the "polish upwards" reference as a racial stereotype that diminishes Flores' intelligence as a Black man.

Willemin also pointed to the final item in the "weaknesses" column -- "Ongoing litigation may be a distraction." -- as evidence of leaguewide retaliation against Flores because of the lawsuit.

Flores, who is Black, sued the NFL, the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Houston Texans in February 2022, alleging the league was "rife with racism" regarding its hiring practices when it comes to Black coaches. He was later joined in the lawsuit by fellow Black coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton.

Flores, who was fired as head coach of the Miami Dolphins shortly before the suit was filed, is now the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator. He interviewed with the Broncos in 2019 and the Giants and Texans in 2022.

Tua Tagovailoa, who was cited in the "Weaknesses" column, played his first two NFL seasons with the Flores-coached Dolphins in 2020 and 2021. The veteran quarterback called Flores a "terrible person" in 2024 and said he began to believe he didn't belong in the NFL under Flores.

Flores responded in August 2024 that he wished Tagovailoa well and acknowledged that he had "done a lot of reflecting on the situation, reflecting on the situation and communication."