The Brian Flores lawsuit against the NFL and at least three teams will feature plenty of important witnesses. Few if any will be more important than Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
Flores, the former Dolphins coach, claims he became aware that the Giants planned to hire Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to be the team’s next head coach after Belichick accidentally congratulated Flores on getting the job, when Belichick meant to congratulate Daboll.
Flores contends that Belichick had more than inside information. Flores contends that Belichick actually influenced New York’s decision to hire Daboll.
“I think there are back channel conversations and back channel meetings that are had that oftentimes influence decisions,” Flores told Jay Williams of NPR’s podcast The Limits. “I think [the Giants hiring process] is a clear example of that. Bill Belichick is a clear example of that. His resume speaks to that. It was clear to me that decision was made with his influence. That’s part of the problem. That needs to change. There needs to be a fair and equal opportunity to interview and showcase your abilities to lead and earn one of those positions.”
The Giants, in their statement issued on Thursday, insisted that Belichick had no role in the process, directly or indirectly. “Mr. Belichick does not speak for and has no affiliation with the Giants,” the team said. “Mr. Belichick’s text exchange provides no insight into what actually transpired during our head coaching search.”
On the surface, it’s odd to think that Belichick would have influence over the hiring practices of another team. That said, there definitely was chatter on the NFL grapevine that Belichick steered the Giants toward Joe Judge not Josh McDaniels in 2020. As the theory goes, Belichick wanted to keep McDaniels.
The difference is obvious. Two years ago, both assistants worked for Belichick. Flores and Daboll used to work for Belichick, but they currently don’t. That said, Belichick benefits from having Daboll leave a division rival.
Still, to the extent that the due diligence done regarding both coaches would extend to Belichick, he’d be in a position to give one or the other an endorsement. In this case, however, it’s hard to imagine Belichick’s input meaning more than the input of new G.M. Joe Schoen, who worked with Daboll in Buffalo.
None of that matters when it’s time to litigate Flores’s case. Flores claims that Belichick influenced the Giants’ hiring process. Flores’s lawyers will be exploring whether that happened. The NFL’s lawyers will be trying to show that it didn’t. Either way, Belichick will be swapping his sleeveless hoodie for a suit and tie as he grunts and grumbles his way through questions far more pointed and aggressive than any he ever has faced at a press conference -- and as he learns that simply repeating mantras like “we’re on to Cincinnati” won’t nearly be good enough.