Brian Flores’s lawyers suspect Roger Goodell memo…

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, ignoring the reality that anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law, said plenty of things in a Saturday memo to all teams about the league’s abysmal record of giving minority candidates head-coaching opportunities. The lawyers for the man whose lawsuit sparked the memo have responded.

“Unfortunately, immediately after Coach Flores filed the class action lawsuit, the NFL and various teams reflexively, and without any investigation, denied the detailed allegations set forth in the 60-page complaint,” attorneys Doug Wigdor and John Elefterakis said in a statement. “As a result, when we spoke to the national media the following day we made clear that the NFL should view this class action lawsuit as an opportunity to engage in real change and confront the obvious reality. The statement made today by the Commissioner is, on the surface, a positive first step, but we suspect that this is more of a publication relations ploy than real commitment to change. For too many years, the NFL has hidden behind the cover of foundations that were supposed to protect the rights of Black players and coaches, as well as law firms and experts that purport to be unbiased and independent, but are paid for by the NFL. All the while, systemic racial bias has festered in the NFL’s front offices. The NFL is now rolling out the same playbook yet again and that is precisely why this lawsuit was filed.

“We would be pleased to talk to the Commissioner about real change, but unfortunately he has not reached out to us to engage in such a discussion. In fact, nobody from the NFL has reached out to us. Absent such a discussion followed by unbiased and concrete change, we believe that a court or government agency must order a federal monitor to oversee the NFL as the NFL cannot continue to police itself.”

While it shouldn’t surprise the lawyers that the Commissioner hasn’t immediately called them up to have a friendly chat, the notion that they’re looking for a “federal monitor” is intriguing. The NFL loves to handle its own business, and it loathes external oversight. At a time when it reasonably should fear the creation of a federal agency charged with overseeing pro sports due to ensure the integrity of gambling on games, the league also should be concerned about some sort of federal oversight of its hiring practices.

Then again, maybe that truly will be the only thing to get the attention of the oligarchs who listen to no one, including the league office.