The Supreme Court declined Tuesday to take up an appeal from the National Football League in a class action lawsuit from Brian Flores and other Black coaches who have claimed racial discrimination.
By passing on the appeal, the court’s decision leaves in place an appeals court ruling that allowed the lawsuit to go to trial and rejected an effort by the league to force Flores into arbitration.
Flores, who is currently the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, was previously a coach with the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He sued the league in 2022, claiming systematic racism when it came to the hiring and promotion of Black coaches.
The NFL sought to force Flores and two other coaches into arbitration, an out-of-court legal process to resolve disputes viewed as less favorable to plaintiffs. But the New York-based 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in February balked at that effort, allowing Flores to take his claims against the league to court.
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