The moment Brian Flores filed his lawsuit against the NFL and three of its teams alleging discrimination in the hiring process, it appeared his coaching career was finished. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin threw Flores a lifeline, though, hiring Flores as an assistant coach.
“I wanted to stay close to Brian when his legal issues started,” Tomlin said Sunday, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “I just didn’t want him to feel like he was on an island. From a coaching fraternity standpoint, I owed him that. . . . I was in position to provide that.”
Flores is overqualified to be the Steelers’ senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach. He should have another opportunity to be a head coach, but he knew when he filed his suit the league might never give him that chance. See Kaepernick, Colin.
The Steelers are the beneficiary, adding another good defensive mind to their staff.
“There’s so many ways that he’s going to help us and help me,” Tomlin said. “His contributions are going to be significant.”