Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has responded to the Brian Flores allegations in litigation, calling them “false, malicious, and defamatory” and vowing to defend his and his team’s “personal integrity.”
On Tuesday, Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL and three teams—the Dolphins, New York Giants, and Denver Broncos—alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices, in addition to other things.
Among the other things, Flores alleges that Ross offered him $100,000 per loss during his rookie coaching campaign in 2019 to improve the Dolphins’ draft spot.
Miami fired him last month after three seasons, including two straight winning ones. Ross claims the decision was made because of “collaboration” issues, but Flores alleges otherwise.
“With regards to the allegations being made by Brian Flores, I am a man of honor and integrity and cannot let them stand without responding,” he said. “I take great personal exception to these malicious attacks, and the truth must be known. 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. 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.”
The NFL issued a statement, saying that Flores’ hiring hijinx allegations were “without merit,” but it would look into the tanking comments.
“That was a conversation about not doing as much as we needed to do in order to win football games,” he said. “Take a flight, go on vacation, I’ll give you $100,000 per loss—those were his exact words. I deal in truth, I tell the players this, as well. I’m gonna give you good news, bad news—but it’s going to be honest.
“To disrespect the game like that, trust was lost, and there were certainly some strained relationships, and ultimately, I think that was my demise in Miami.”
