Flores

NEW YORK — The Brian Flores-led discrimination lawsuit against the NFL can proceed to open court and avoid the league’s arbitration process, a federal judge ruled Friday.

Flores, who is joined in the lawsuit by Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, sued the league and three teams in February 2022 after he was fired the previous month by the Miami Dolphins. Now the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, Flores alleged in his original suit that the league was “rife with racism” regarding its hiring practices when it comes to Black coaches.

The NFL argued Flores should go through the league’s arbitration process rather than the legal system, but Judge Valerie Caproni of the Southern District of New York sided with the plaintiffs.

“The court’s decision recognizes that an arbitration forum in which the defendant’s own chief executive gets to decide the case would strip employees of their rights under the law,” Flores’ attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and David E. Gottlieb said in a statement. “It is long overdue for the NFL to recognize this and finally provide a fair, neutral and transparent forum for these issues to be addressed.”

Flores was fired after going 24-25 record over three years without a playoff appearances. The Dolphins did have back-to-back winning seasons before Flores was dismissed.

He sued the NFL as well as the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Houston Texans. Flores interviewed with the Broncos in 2019 and the Giants and Texans in 2022.

League wins case

An arbitrator has determined the NFL Players Association violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL by distributing annual “team report cards” and ordered the union to stop making public any future reports.

The NFL informed teams of the decision on Friday. In a memo sent to the 32 teams, NFL attorneys said the NFLPA’s witness and counsel at the hearing characterized the report cards as “union speech” and admitted that the union “cherry-picked” topics and player responses in the report cards.

Fox returns

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Former NFL head coach John Fox has joined the Buffalo Bills’ staff as a senior assistant coach, the team announced Friday.

The 71-year-old Fox will be the most experienced member of first-year head coach Joe Brady’s staff in Buffalo. Fox served 16 seasons as a head coach with the Carolina Panthers (2002-10), Denver Broncos (2011-14) and Chicago Bears (2015-17). He reached the Super Bowl with Carolina in 2003 and with Denver in 2013.

Having been an assistant coach in the NFL for 17 seasons before becoming a head coach, Fox most recently worked as a senior assistant with the Detroit Lions in 2023.

Not guilty plea

BOSTON — New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs has pleaded not guilty to a felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge stemming from an alleged dispute with his former private chef.

According to a police report, the woman told officers Diggs struck her and attempted to choke her during an argument about unpaid wages in early December. Diggs’ attorney has denied the allegations, calling them unsubstantiated and tied to a financial dispute. The Patriots have said they support Diggs. Friday’s arraignment comes days after the team’s 29-13 loss to Seattle in Super Bowl LX.

Pardons for players

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has pardoned five former NFL players for crimes that include perjury, counterfeiting and drug trafficking.

White House pardon adviser Alice Marie Johnson announced the pardons on X Thursday night. She says Trump supports second chances. The White House did not return a request for comment on the reasons for the pardons. The players include Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon.