One of the biggest talking points of the NFL offseason has been the story of former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.
Flores was let go by the Dolphins despite back-to-back winning seasons and then he dropped a bombshell by suing the NFL for racial discrimination in their hiring process.
This obviously caused some issues for Flores as he was also attempting to get another job as a head coach this offseason. Though he was considered for several head coaching gigs, he ultimately was not hired by any NFL team as a head coach. Instead, Flores agreed to join the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach.
This was a huge get for the Steelers given Flores’s track record as a defensive mind, and head coach Mike Tomlin seemed to realize that, saying that it didn’t take long to realize that he would be a great addition to his coaching staff.
Steelers owner Art Rooney echoed Tomlin’s sentiments on Tuesday when he was asked about the acquisition of Flores.
“We hired Brian because we think that he is a qualified coach and will be an asset to us,” Rooney told ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “The lawsuit can create an awkward situation at times. But, irrespective of the lawsuit, we remain committed, I remain committed to improving the situation in every way we can, and we’ve been working hard to do that.”
Rooney also said that the Steelers organization will not be involved in the Flores lawsuit. This is interesting because it was his family that helped established the “Rooney Rule” in the first place, which made it so teams must interview candidates of color for head coaching and senior operations vacancies.
Regardless, it appears that all levels of the organization agree that, despite the ongoing lawsuit, this is a key acquisition that can help the Steelers now and in the future.
[ESPN]
