Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has responded to accusations from former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores that Ross offered Flores $100,000 for every game he lost during the 2019 season.
“With regards to the allegations being made by Brian Flores, I am a man of honor and integrity and cannot let them stand without responding,” Ross said in a statement. “I take great personal exception to these malicious attacks, and the truth must be known. His allegations are false, malicious and defamatory.”
“We understand there are media reports stating the NFL intends to investigate his claims, and we will cooperate fully,” Ross continued. “I welcome the investigation and I am eager to defend my personal integrity, and the integrity of the entire Miami Dolphins organization, from these baseless, unfair and disparaging claims.”
The accusation by Flores comes as part of a class-action suit filed by Flores in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday. Flores is suing the NFL and several teams, naming the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants, and the Dolphins, for racial discrimination in the NFL’s hiring process.
He makes the claim that Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross pressured Flores to “tank” during the 2019 season, to the point that Ross offered Flores $100,000 for each loss during the season. He also claims that “Mr. Ross began to pressure Mr. Flores to recruit a prominent quarterback in violation of League tampering rules” at the end of the 2019 season.
Flores was fired as head coach of the Dolphins in January, following two winning seasons as head coach in Miami. It was the first back-to-back winning seasons for the organization since the 2003 season, but the Dolphins failed to reach the playoffs in the three years with Flores at the helm.
Flores claims that as a result of refusing to recruit the quarterback, he was “treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with.” The suit alleges that the Dolphins labeled Flores as “difficult to work with” through the media.
“This is reflective of an all too familiar ‘angry black man’ stigma that is often casted upon Black men who are strong in their morals and convictions while white men are coined as passionate for those very same attributes,” the suit states.
On Wednesday, Flores joined ESPN’s morning show “Get Up,” and discussed his allegations against Ross.
“That was a conversation about not doing as much as we needed to do in order to win football games,” Flores said Wednesday. “Take a flight, go on vacation, I’ll give you $100,000 per loss — those were his exact words. I deal in truth, I tell the players this, as well. I’m gonna give you good news, bad news — but it’s going to be honest.”
“To disrespect the game like that, trust was lost, and there were certainly some strained relationships, and ultimately, I think that was my demise in Miami,” he continued.
The Dolphins organization denied the allegations on Tuesday.
“We vehemently deny any allegations of racial discrimination and are proud of the diversity and inclusion throughout our organization,” the Dolphins said in a statement. “The implication that we acted in a manner inconsistent with the integrity of the game is incorrect. We will be withholding further comment on the lawsuit at this time.”
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].