Nick Caserio: Brian Flores lawsuit didn’t affect…

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When Brian Flores filed his lawsuit against the NFL, Dolphins, Giants, and Broncos regarding the league’s hiring practices last week, he was still believed to be in the running for the Texans head coaching job.

Reports indicated that remained the case through the weekend, but attention quickly turned to Texans defensive coordinator Lovie Smith and he wound up being officially introduced as the team’s new head coach on Monday. Smith was introduced at a press conference on Tuesday and the session also included a question for General Manager Nick Caserio about whether Flores’ lawsuit impacted the hiring process.

With a fire alarm going off in the background, Caserio said he had “multiple conversations with a a number of different candidates” and that he spoke to Flores after the lawsuit was filed last week while saying that the legal matter did not impact the hiring process.

“I would say it didn’t affect us at all,” Caserio said, via SportsTalk790. “Speaking specific to Brian, I’ve known Brian a long time personally and professionally. I have a lot of respect for Brian as a coach and a person. He was a part of this process. He’s been a good coach in this league for a number of years. Part of my responsibility was to spend time with as many quality candidates as possible and Brian was one of those.”

With the lawsuit ongoing, it would have been ill-advised for Caserio to say anything else regarding its role in the team’s decision. That will likely continue to be the case as the team works to move forward with Smith at the helm.