Attorneys for Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores requested access to 24 years’ worth of hiring and employment documents from nearly every NFL team, according to lawyers representing the league and several of its franchises against allegations of employment discrimination.Flores, who is Black, has been in a legal battle with the NFL and multiple teams since 2022, when he sued over his belief that he was treated unfairly due to his race after his firing as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.In a memo to the federal judge overseeing the case, lawyers representing the NFL, New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans on May 15 accused Flores’ team of filing “punishingly overbroad discovery requests” from their clients and “25 non-party clubs.”The memo, which did not specify which teams were subpoenaed, focused on how much time the defendants should have available to procure that evidence. It called the 1,061 document requests a delay tactic meant to interfere with their competing motions to dismiss the case altogether.Flores’ attorneys, however, have argued that the extensive documentation is necessary to prove his allegations that systemic racism played a role in the teams’ hiring decisions. Though he has alleged that Black applicants have been overlooked for coaching positions across the league, Flores singled out the Giants, Broncos and Texans in his original suit as being “rife with racism.”Flores began his NFL career as an assistant special teams coach for the New England Patriots in 2008, then served as a position coach for several units across the roster. The Dolphins hired him as head coach ahead of the 2019 season, but, Flores said, tension arose between him and owner Stephen Ross over team strategy.According to Flores, Ross allegedly offered him $100,000 per loss in 2019 to help the Dolphins acquire better draft positions, which he refused. Flores remained as the Dolphins’ head coach until his firing in January 2022, after he led the franchise to back-to-back winning seasons, its first since 2002-2003, but missed the playoffs for the third time under him.Out of a job but publicly considered a candidate for several open head-coaching positions, Flores proceeded to have extensive interviews with the Giants and Broncos. In his lawsuit, however, he described those meetings as “shams,” alleging that the teams never intended to hire him but interviewed him to comply with the league’s Rooney Rule. That policy requires teams to consider candidates of color when filling head coaching, general manager and coordinator openings.Flores sued the Dolphins in February 2022 over his firing and included the Giants and Broncos for their handling of his interviews. He later added the Texans to his lawsuit, claiming the team canceled a pre-arranged interview with him due to his racism allegations.The NFL as a whole is also named in the lawsuit, as Flores contends he is an employee of the league itself and that it is thus liable for the teams’ alleged employment discrimination. Attorneys for the league have argued otherwise, stating in the latest memo that Flores has not provided “any factual allegations” that the NFL is Flores’ employer.A federal judge moved several of Flores’ allegations against the Dolphins into arbitration in 2023, but his suit against the Giants, Broncos, Texans and league was allowed to move forward.Despite his ongoing litigation, Flores returned to coaching in 2022, when the Pittsburgh Steelers hired him as an assistant defensive coach. He joined Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell’s staff as defensive coordinator the following season. Minnesota extended his contract in January, saying, “Under Flores’ tutelage, the Vikings defense has steadily improved.”Flores is set to file an amended complaint Wednesday under a briefing schedule set by Judge Valerie E. Caproni. Deadlines for updated motions and briefs are set throughout the summer, including motions to dismiss the case.May 20, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms