The Rule at the Center of the N.F.L. Discrimination Lawsuit

Feb 14, 2022

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Show notes

As the N.F.L. season comes to a close, we’re looking at a class-action lawsuit that Brian Flores, a former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, has filed against the league.

At the heart of the case is the Rooney Rule, a policy the league implemented two decades ago that has since been adopted across corporate America.

We explore the lawsuit and the Rooney Rule, and we hear from Cyrus Mehri, a civil rights lawyer who helped create the policy.

Guest: Ken Belson, a reporter covering the N.F.L. for The New York Times.

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Background reading:

Brian Flores has sued the N.F.L. and its 32 teams alleging that they discriminated against him and other Black coaches in their hiring practices.
After Mr. Flores’s lawsuit and a cycle in which only two nonwhite head coaches were hired, the Rooney Rule, the N.F.L.’s biggest diversity initiative, is facing new scrutiny.
Those close to Mr. Flores say his lawsuit is in keeping with the sense of moral rectitude instilled in him by his mother as he grew up in a Brooklyn housing project.

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