NFL: Brian Flores' lawyers denounce racial stereotypes in new coach memo

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A freshly released recruiting memo from personnel consultancy Korn Ferry about Brian Flores is making waves – and casting new light on the dispute over racism in the NFL. For the coach's lawyers, one thing is clear: the document is full of racial stereotypes by which the league judges Black head coach candidates. They see its release as impermissible retaliation for Flores' discrimination lawsuit, which he filed in 2022 against the league and several teams.

Specifically, the case involves a document Korn Ferry compiled during the Las Vegas Raiders' 2024 coaching search. According to the Guardian and the Washington Post, it was made public on Tuesday (October 13, 2026) as part of the ongoing proceedings; the news agency Associated Press said it had received it first. In it, the firm lists six strengths and seven weaknesses of Flores – assessed from the perspective of potential employers.

What exactly is in the memo

From Flores' lawyers' perspective, this very list is the problem. Several of the weaknesses drew on demeaning clichés about Black coaches, his attorney told ESPN and Fox News. Particularly explosive: the wording that Flores has a chip on his shoulder – can be a dictator with players and coaches and can even clash with the owners. Sportskeeda also quotes the note that Flores is well-groomed, despite growing up in Brownsville – his lawyers consider this a condescending comment about his background from a poorer neighborhood in the New York borough of Brooklyn.

Chip on his shoulder – can be a dictator with players, coaches, and can even be difficult with ownership.

In addition, the memo allegedly contains the accusation that Flores threatened his then-general manager with violence and made inappropriate demands at a meeting with the team owners – both claims that, per the dossier, his team firmly pushes back on.

Why the lawyers smell retaliation

Flores filed suit against the team, five other franchises, and the NFL in February 2022 – shortly after his firing as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. He accuses the league of systemic discrimination in the hiring of head coaches and names specific patterns by which Black candidates are disadvantaged. The now-released Korn Ferry memo is a textbook example of precisely these patterns, his lawyers write – and they view its publication a few years after the suit was filed as a signal that the league does not tolerate open criticism of its hiring practices.

What's officially missing so far

There is no statement from the NFL or Korn Ferry on the allegations in the available reports. The Raiders have also not publicly commented, according to the Guardian, USA Today, and Fox News. So the next step remains a legal one: the memo is likely to be introduced into the ongoing proceedings – as further evidence in a lawsuit that has been negotiating the power dynamics in the NFL since 2022. For you, that means: what looks like a personnel file here could become the next chapter in one of the largest lawsuits about racism in American professional sports.