Houston announced the hire on Monday evening.
Brian Flores’s legal team released a statement on Monday night on the Texans’ decision to hire Lovie Smith as the franchise’s new coach.
In the statement, attorneys Douglas Wigdor and John Elefterakis explained that Flores is “happy to hear” that Houston hired a Black head coach. However, they said that their client, who was a finalist for the Texans job, was not selected for the position because of his “decision to stand up against racial inequality across the NFL.”
“Mr. Flores is happy to hear that the Texans have hired a Black head coach, Lovie Smith, as Mr. Flores’ goal in bringing his case is to provide real opportunities for Black and minority candidates to be considered for coaching and executive positions within the NFL,” the statement said. “However, we would be remiss not to mention that Mr. Flores was one of three finalists for the Texans’ head coach position and, after a great interview and mutual interest, it is obvious that the only reason Mr. Flores was not selected was his decision to stand up against racial inequality across the NFL.”
The former Dolphins coach filed a lawsuit seeking class action status against the NFL and three teams alleging discrimination last week. Flores was fired Jan. 10 after going 24–25 in three seasons as Miami’s coach. He also interviewed for the Saints vacancy, which was reportedly filled by New Orleans defensive coordinator Dennis Allen on Monday.
The Texans announced their decision to hire Smith in a press release on Monday night. Reports had indicated that the associate head coach’s name was gaining traction in Houston’s search on Sunday.
Flores, along with former NFL quarterback Josh McCown, were considered to be other finalists for the Texans job. Houston also interviewed Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and Steelers wide receiver and current FAU receivers coach Hines Ward for the position.
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