A recruiting memo prepared for the Las Vegas Raiders described Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores as a polished communicator while making a pointed reference to his upbringing in the same Brooklyn neighborhood as Mike Tyson. The document has been unsealed as part of Flores’ discrimination lawsuit against the NFL.
“Polished and a good presenter despite growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn (same as Mike Tyson),” the memo stated. It was unsealed Tuesday and provided to Our News Outlet.
Flores’ attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor, argues that the wording is among several racially charged stereotypes contained in the one-page profile created by recruiting company Korn Ferry while the Raiders considered Flores for a coaching vacancy. Brownsville, a largely African-American Brooklyn neighborhood, became associated with elevated crime levels during the 1980s and 1990s.
Flores was born in Brooklyn to Afro-Indigenous Honduran parents. He sued the NFL and multiple teams after the Miami Dolphins dismissed him following the 2021 season. The case has since expanded to include other Black coaches as plaintiffs and additional NFL clubs as defendants. Flores’ lawsuit alleges that racism is deeply embedded in the league, especially in the way minority coaches are hired and fired.
The NFL has denied the allegations. The league also recently suffered a setback at the U.S. Supreme Court after its effort to move the dispute into arbitration overseen by commissioner Roger Goodell failed.
With the Korn Ferry document now public through proceedings in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Flores’ legal team says the memo offers additional evidence of racial bias in the NFL’s coaching hiring process.
A newly unsealed recruiting memo described Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores as a strong communicator while referencing his upbringing in Mike Tyson’s former Brooklyn neighborhood.
The memo also said Flores “can fool you with his polish upwards.”
“The recently unsealed documents demonstrate two unfortunate, but unsurprising, realities,” Wigdor said in a statement to Our News Outlet. “First, that Mr. Flores’ decision to hold the league and its teams accountable for systemic race discrimination has been met with unlawful retaliation. Second, discrimination continues to play a significant role in the hiring process for NFL Head Coaches, as evidenced by the fact that the candidate profile prepared for the Raiders leans heavily on racial stereotypes.”
Several passages cited by Wigdor characterize Flores as a coach who would be difficult to manage.
“Needs someone strong at the top to reign (sic) in some of his worst behavior,” one passage read. The memo was first reported by Front Office Sports.
Another statement alleged that Flores “once threatened violence to his GM and made irrational demands during an ownership meeting.”
The document also quoted one longtime senior team executive as saying, “He may have changed since, but he was the worst hiring decision we’ve ever made.” It added that another club president had refused to discuss Flores.
The memo questioned Flores’ “people skills” and “self-awareness,” while accusing him of “erratic behavior” and having a “chip on his shoulder.”
“His personality is unpredictable – not sure who is going to show up,” another section stated.
The memo listed Flores as “polished and a good presenter despite growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn (same as Mike Tyson)” among his perceived strengths.
Those descriptions appeared under the memo’s “weaknesses” section. Flores’ attorney, Michael Willemin told Front Office Sports that the listed strengths were also framed in what he called a racially offensive manner, particularly in the way the memo described a Black man as articulate and polished.
“He can fool you with his polish upwards,” one comment read.
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The reference to Brownsville, Flores’ hometown, appeared in the “strengths” section rather than among the criticisms. That portion also highlighted his ability to move comfortably in elite social circles.
“He was able to build a strong friendship with a billionaire’s son which gave him opportunities to socialize and learn how to build relationships with white-collar and upper-class individuals,” another entry stated.
Our News Outlet has sought comment from Korn Ferry and the NFL.
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At the heart of Flores’ 2022 discrimination lawsuit is the league’s Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates from outside the organization for top coaching and front-office positions. Flores, his co-plaintiffs and their attorneys believe this rule is simply a fig leaf to mask racist hiring and firing practices.
To illustrate this point, Flores’ lawsuit included text messages from his former boss, legendary New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who is seen congratulating his long-time defensive assistant for getting the Giants’ head-coaching position in early 2022.
The problem was, Flores had yet to even interview for the job.
Apparently, Belichick intended to text another Brian – Brian Daboll – who had already interviewed twice and was later hired for the position. (Daboll was ultimately fired during the 2025 campaign)
According to the complaint, Flores was forced to sit through a humiliating interview with the Giants, who had apparently settled on Daboll. In essence, Flores’ interview was strictly a way to comply with the Rooney Rule and not a legitimate inquiry, according to the lawsuit.
‘… Mr. Flores had to give an extensive interview for a job that he already knew he would not get—an interview that was held for no reason other than for the Giants to demonstrate falsely to the League Commissioner Roger Goodell and the public at large that it was in compliance with the Rooney Rule,’ the filing read.
Belichick mistakenly congratulated Flores for getting the Giants job before his former assistant had even interviewed for the position. It turns out the Giants actually hired Brian Daboll
The confusing exchange with Belichick proved to Flores that his interview with the Giants was nothing more than an attempt by the team to comply with the league’s Rooney Rule
That lawsuit further alleges that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told Flores he would pay him $100,000 for every loss during the coach’s first season because he wanted the club to ‘tank’ so it could get the draft’s top pick.
The lawsuit alleged that Ross then pressured Flores to recruit a prominent quarterback in violation of the league’s tampering rules. When Flores refused, he was cast as the ‘angry Black man’ who is difficult to work with and was derided until he was fired, the suit said.
The Dolphins responded to the lawsuit when it was filed by saying it vehemently denied any allegations of racial discrimination and was ‘proud of the diversity and inclusion throughout our organization.’
The other five teams named as defendants in the lawsuit are the Giants, Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals. Flores’ co-plaintiffs are long-time NFL coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton.
These days, Flores is in charge of one of the NFL’s elite defenses. The 5-0 Vikings rank third in the NFL in yards allowed and recently held Flores’ former team, the Dolphins, to just 10 points.
