“We have named Brian Flores as our senior defensive assistant/linebackers” coach, the Steelers said Saturday in a tweet announcing his hiring on the staff of head coach Mike Tomlin.
Tomlin is one of two Black head coaches in the NFL. The other is Lovie Smith of the Houston Texans. Mike McDaniel, who is multiracial, replaced Flores as head coach of the Dolphins after Flores was fired last month.
“I am excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL,” Tomlin said. “Brian’s resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team.”
Flores, 40, who is Black, sued the Dolphins organization along with the NFL and two other NFL teams alleging racial discrimination.
The 58-page lawsuit castigates the culture of the NFL and the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview two external minority candidates for head coaching positions. The lawsuit says the rule hasn’t worked to increase the hiring of coaches of color.
The rule was named for the late Dan Rooney, the longtime Steelers chairman.
The Miami Dolphins fired Flores at the conclusion of the regular season, after going 24-25 in his three seasons as head coach.
