Photo: Chris Unger
Doug Gottlieb: “We do a terrible job in the media presenting both sides of the story… I’ve heard from plenty of NFL people that have said ‘Yes, in the past there have been interviews that felt like they were just interviews for interview's sake’... I don’t know if that’s the case here, and it feels like on many levels here’s a guy who really liked the job that he had, lost the job that he had, and the way in which he was portrayed led him to make some claims which are probably the way he feels but may not be aligned up with reality… I just don’t know how you claim the league is ‘racist’ with their hiring tactics, sue the league, call out two different [NFL executives] THEN get a job within the league… So, where are we with this? We have the Dolphins owner, Stephen Ross, saying it’s completely untrue, you have John Elway saying it’s incompletely untrue, and neither of [Flores’] claims stand up to the smell test. Diversity is absolutely needed. The Rooney Rule, when used properly may not work in terms of working immediately, but it’s about getting into a room and getting to know different people, and spreading out so your tree is not just whatever organization you came up in… A big part of coaching is managing down [with players], and managing up [with the front office], and I don’t think Flores managed up at all, and I think there are mixed feelings on how he managed down. But if you only think all these interviews only happen to a Black coach, Jim Harbaugh is the perfect example. Many thought Jim Harbaugh in Minnesota, because of the new Vikings GM working with Harbaugh on the 49ers, was a DONE DEAL. And what happened? They had a coach in mind, the offensive coordinator of the Rams, they went through their interviews and they circled back to the guy who was the favorite to begin with, which is what happened to the New York Giants and Brian Daboll… I was talking to a friend in the NFL the other day and the statement he made to me is a statement I’ve made to other people. These NFL franchises are worth between 2-5$ billion and the way for everyone to get paid is to WIN, that’s it. Who gives us the best chance to win? So, what you have to formulate in your mind -- if these accusations are correct, in 2022 an owner would say ‘I really, really want to win but I would prefer to win with a White coach over a Black coach.’ Do you think that’s a part of the plan? Or for the GM, do you think that’s a legit discussion? Because the people I’ve spoken with are like ‘it’s literally never come up, EVER.’ The argument is ‘Brian Flores is a really good coach but we don’t want him above Brian Daboll because he’s Black.’ Do I think there was a time 40-50 years ago where that was the case? Maybe, probably on some scale, there was, but in 2022 I find it really, really hard. I’m not saying things don’t exist in our society, but to steal from Tony Romo when he lost his gig to Dak Prescott, ‘football is a meritocracy.’ Do you have to be liked? Do you have to work with other people? Absolutely, but you have to remember what you’re saying is that these accusations are unilaterally true throughout the National Football League… If Flores has the receipts on Stephen Ross offering him $100,000, that’s a different question, but by the way, that doesn’t have any racial implications.” (Full Audio Above)
Listen to Doug Gottlieb continue to discuss the Brian Flores fallout in Miami as well as his impending lawsuit against the NFL, as Gottlieb once again details why he doesn’t think race played any factor in Flores’ ill-fated standing in Miami, as well as his shortcomings to land both the Giants and Broncos head coaching positions.
Check out the audio above as Gottlieb explains why he thinks NFL franchises have way too much on the line to select their most sequential employees based on race.
YOUTUBE: Check out Gottlieb’s other takes this week on the Flores saga at the bottom of the page.
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