New York Giants owner John Mara rejected the idea of settling the lawsuit from Brian Flores, saying the “allegations are false.”
Flores, the former Miami Dolphins head coach, is suing his former team, along with the Giants and Denver Broncos, saying the franchises discriminated against him during their head coaching searches because he is Black.
“The allegations are false,” Mara said at a conference of NFL owners. “It was a fair process, and we ended up making the decision we made based on a lot of factors, none of which had anything to do with race.”
The Giants, who had been looking for a new coach this offseason after firing Joe Judge after 2 seasons, ultimately gave the gig to former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
During the hiring process, though, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick sent a text message to Flores prior to his interview with New York allegedly saying that the G-men had already decided on hiring Daboll.
[READ ALSO: Brian Flores blasts idea of arbitration hearings for lawsuit against Giants, NFL]
The NFL currently mandates that each team interview a person of color during their head coaching searches. Flores alleges in his suit that his interview with the Giants was a “sham,” and he was never being seriously considered for the role.
Mara, for his part, said Belichick had no knowledge of the team’s inner decision-making process, and he hasn’t “spoken or communicated with Bill” since before last season.
“I think the truth will come out eventually,” Mara said. “He didn’t speak with anybody in our organization.”
