Opinion: Brian Flores' bombshell lawsuit against NFL is a long overdue move for Black coaches

Brian Flores knows he’s taking one for the team.

The groundbreaking discrimination lawsuit filed Tuesday may have come on the heels of the New York Giants choosing Brian Daboll as their new head coach rather than Flores, but this bombshell was a long time coming.

A quick public service announcement: Shame on the NFL for its quick dismissal of the merits of the case – especially considering the smoke attached to this issue over many years. Can we get a Deflategate-like investigation? With some un-Daniel-Snyder-like transparency?

This case is not only about Flores, who, during an appearance Wednesday on "CBS Mornings" described the “humiliation” of engaging in an alleged sham interview with the Giants. It’s also for Jim Caldwell, whether he wants it to be or not, as a man who was fired after a winning season, and three winning campaigns in four years, as Detroit Lions coach. It’s for Todd Bowles, who landed the New York Jets' top job in 2015, in what was his 12th – 12th! – venture in the head coaching interview process … while white coaches Kliff Kingsbury, Doug Pederson and Joe Judge (recently dumped as the New York Giants' coach) struck oil by landing head coach jobs in their first interviews for such positions.

It’s for Steve Wilks and Leslie Frazier. It’s for Eric Bieniemy and Terry Robiskie. It’s for Ray Horton and Jimmy Raye. It’s for Ray Sherman and Sherm Lewis. It’s for so many African American coaches, past and present, deemed unworthy to ascend to the top of the coaching ladder while white coaches who paid fewer dues with lesser résumés repeatedly got opportunities.

Flores knows. It’s bigger than him, which is why, at the ripe age of 40, he is willing to put his career on the sword and courageously take three NFL teams specifically – and by extension, the whole NFL ecosystem – to court.

“I absolutely want to coach in this league,” Flores said on CBS. “But I’m also not the only one with a story to tell. There are people who have come before, and I know there are others who have similar stories. It’s hard to speak out, and you’re making some sacrifices. This is bigger than coaching.”

OPINION: Brian Flores' lawsuit put NFL's systemic racism against coaches on full display

Maybe Flores will go down as a game changer in the next 100 years of NFL history. From the moment his 58-page complaint was filed, complete with text messages allegedly from his old boss, Bill Belichick, among supporting evidence, Flores drew comparisons to Colin Kaepernick.

We all know what that means. This comes with purpose and passion.

For all of the efforts over the years to level the playing field of opportunity for minority coaches (and GMs and others), it seemed inevitable that this day would come. The courtroom is like the next frontier in this issue – and nothing forces NFL owners to act quite like a lawsuit.

Remember, the Rooney Rule – well-intentioned to the hilt but often flawed when the execution by decision-makers doesn’t match up to the spirit – was adopted in 2003 after hints about a class-action suit by Johnnie Cochran and Cyrus Mehri.

Nearly 20 years later, Flores has dropped just that dime.

“Historically, it is a watershed moment,” N. Jeremi Duru, professor of law at American University, told USA TODAY Sports, mindful that the suit was ironically filed on the first day of Black History Month. “It is symbolic. But there’s a lot of substance within a solid and very strong complaint.

“It’s so important to recognize that the pieces are in place to show that there’s a double standard.”

Duru has felt for some time that a lawsuit could be a game changer, but he would not have bet that he would ever see the day, given the individual sacrifice required and political ramifications.

“I wasn’t sure that someone would be willing to stand up as a plaintiff,” he said. “It would take someone willing to see beyond the NFL.”

That someone is Flores. And he’s swinging for the fences of systemic change.

In the complaint, Flores’ requests for relief include this: written rationale for all decisions in hiring and terminating head coaches.

Sure, we can all get it when a coach walks the plank after finishing a three-year term with records of, say, 3-14, 2-15 and 1-16. What doesn’t easily compute is when a coach, typically Black, is fired after going 10-7.

“It’s certainly unfortunate that it has come to this legal action,” Duru said. “Yet without question, this lawsuit will change the league.”

I hope this case makes it to court and the jury trial that Flores desires. Bring on the discovery, depositions, evidence and the shrewd arguments. And witnesses, such as Roger Goodell, who can perhaps explain why he let the Raiders skate with those sham interviews before hiring Jon Gruden a few years ago.

Besides this equality issue, Flores’ lawsuit alleges heinous action by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross that strikes at the core of the integrity of the NFL’s game – Flores said he was offered $100,000 bonuses for each loss in 2019, the idea being that piling up the L’s could lead to the selection of … Joe Burrow, who just so happens to be getting ready to lead the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56.

Goodell hasn’t shown much stomach for disciplining team owners. He is suddenly confronted with another issue to rein in one of his bosses. Memo to the masses: Let’s not hold our breath.

On the equality front, Goodell has been more proactive than the majority of the teams. The diversity at league headquarters, where minorities and women fill key roles, is a great model that many teams need to follow. That’s one reason why bringing the lawsuit specifically against the Giants, Dolphins and Denver Broncos carries much more weight than taking on the entire league.

But again, for all of the brothers and sisters surrounding Goodell on Park Avenue, he’s been sorely lacking when it comes to enforcing measures … in the name of the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney.

And now the potential of a court case looms. The legal route forced the NFL to move on free agency (after years and years and years of battles), deal with franchise moves (RIP, Al Davis) and push forward the $765 million concussion settlement.

Maybe the courtroom represents a much-needed change of venue for sparking an earnest shift in the way NFL teams decide on which coaches are fit to call the shots.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brian Flores' lawsuit vs. NFL is long overdue for Black coaches