NFL investigating Flores allegation that Dolphins owner offered $100K for each loss
The NFL will reportedly be investigating the allegations made by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores in his lawsuit filed this week, including the claim that the team’s owner Stephen Ross offered to pay him $100,000 for every game that the team lost in order to improve their position in the draft.
A source close to the matter told The Wall Street Journal that the NFL planned on investigating all the claims that Flores made in his suit, with the accusation against Ross being the most problematic as it undermines the competitive integrity of the 32-team league.
“His allegations are false, malicious and defamatory. We understand there are media reports stating that the NFL intends to investigate his claims, and we will cooperate fully,” Ross told the Journal in a statement through a spokesperson.
“I welcome that investigation and I am eager to defend my personal integrity, and the integrity and values of the entire Miami Dolphins organization, from these baseless, unfair and disparaging claims,” he added.
The Hill has reached out to the NFL for comment.
In his lawsuit, Flores made a number of shocking allegations, including being racially discriminated against by three teams in the NFL. Flores, who is Black, claimed that he was forced to go through the hiring processes for the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants despite the teams never having any intention of hiring him.
While working as head coach of the Dolphins, Flores said Ross pressured him to lose games. When he refused to comply, Flores alleged that team management informed him that Ross was “mad” about his decision.
According to Flores’s suit, Ross also pressured him to recruit a “prominent quarterback,” in violation of NFL tampering rules. Ross supposedly invited Flores onto his yacht where the unnamed quarterback had “conveniently” arrived as well. After leaving this “set-up,” Flores said he was “ostracized.”