US Supreme Court Rejects NFLs Attempt to Arbitrate Racism Case

US Supreme Court Denies NFL’s Bid to Move Racial Discrimination Case to Arbitration

The US Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal by the National Football League (NFL) to move a racial discrimination case involving former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores into arbitration proceedings controlled by the league. The teams involved in the appeal, New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and Houston Texans, had sought to have the case moved to arbitration.

Flores, 45, has filed a lawsuit alleging that the NFL discriminated against him and other Black coaches due to their race. He claims that he was asked to participate in “sham interviews” with the Giants and Broncos as part of the league’s Rooney Rule policy, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for coaching jobs.

A New York-based federal judge had previously ruled that Flores’ claims belonged in federal court, while sending other aspects of the case to private arbitration. The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals later agreed with this ruling, stating that a provision in the NFL constitution granting Commissioner Roger Goodell unilateral authority to arbitrate was “plainly unenforceable”.

The Supreme Court’s decision means that Flores’ lawsuit will remain in federal court, where he is seeking changes to the league’s policies and procedures to promote greater diversity among coaching staffs. The NFL had denied claims of racial discrimination, arguing that the case should be dismissed or sent to arbitration.

Flores was fired as head coach of the Miami Dolphins despite the team having a winning record for two consecutive seasons. He has been joined by two other Black coaches, Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, in his lawsuit against the NFL.

Source: Al Jazeera