Elway, a Broncos executive, addressed the claims about Flores's 2019 interview with the team.
Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL on Tuesday along with three franchises: the Broncos, Dolphins and Giants. Flores noted experiences with the three teams in his class-action, alleging racist hiring practices within the league.
Flores coached the Dolphins from 2019-21 before being fired after this season. He then interviewed with the Giants, but only after he discovered that the team already planned to hire Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, he claims. Flores says this was not his first “sham” interview, where a team had no intention of giving him the head-coach position. He cites a story from 2019 in his lawsuit, when he spoke with John Elway and the Broncos.
“They looked completely disheveled, and it was obvious that they had been drinking heavily the night before,” the lawsuit says of then-general manager Elway, president and CEO Joe Ellis, and other Broncos executives.
“It was clear from the substance of the interview that Mr. Flores was interviewed only because of the Rooney Rule, and that the Broncos never had any intention to consider him as a legitimate candidate for the job. Shortly thereafter, Vic Fangio, a white man, was hired to be the Head Coach of the Broncos.”
Elway released a statement denying the claims on Thursday.
“While I was not planning to respond publicly to the false and defamatory claims by Brian Flores, I could not be silent any longer with my character, integrity and professionalism being attacked,” Elway said in a statement. I took Coach Flores very seriously as a candidate for our head coaching position in 2019 and enjoyed our three-and-a-half hour interview with him.”
“Along with the rest of our group, I was prepared, ready and fully engaged during the entire interview as Brian shared his experience and vision for our team. It's unfortunate and shocking to learn for the first time this week that Brian felt differently about our interview with him.”
The Broncos released a team statement on Tuesday. They also denied Flores’s claims.
Flores made numerous television appearances to discuss the lawsuit on Wednesday. He remains in the running for the Saints and Texans coaching jobs, but says he will not drop the lawsuit against the league, even if he lands one of those opportunities.
More NFL Coverage:
- Examining Brian Flores's Lawsuit Against the NFL
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- What If Black Coaches Just Turn Down Interviews?
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