Racism + Sports

Once upon a time, a football player took a knee.

He didn’t yell, he didn’t scream.

He was calm and full of peace.

But the world chose not to hear him.

And instead, a knee was later sunk into a black life.

Turning up the volume on systemic racism, — more impolite than they could’ve ever imagined.

While HBCU’s were the subject target of threats at the rise of Black History month, — the same day, — the NFL was being served on a target platter. On February 1, 2022, NFL Coach Brian Flores filed a class-action suit against the organization, in conjunction with the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, and New York Giant organizations, respectively. Flores’ suit against the team organizations alleges systemic racism in hiring practices.

The 58-page lawsuit comes almost a month after his firing as head coach from the Miami Dolphins and after what Flores referenced as his refusal to purposefully lose games for greater chances at better draft picks, accepting money for game losses, and tampering with a quarterback before free agency.

Flores claims in the suit that his refusal was responded to with disdain treatment and labels of non-compliant and difficult to work with. Despite setting a record-breaking back-to-back winning season in 2020, and 2021, Flores was fired on January 10th.

The lawsuit also alleges that in 2019, in an effort to help with Dolphin’s draft position, the Giants and the Broncos conducted “bogus” in-person interviews with him just to comply with the Rooney Rule. Named after the late Dan Rooney, chairman of the organization’s Workplace Diversity Committee, the Rooney rule is an NFL policy that requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior management opportunities.

Though Flores’ January 27th interview with the Giants certainly satisfied the rule, the New York Giants decided to hire Brian Daboll a day later. Flores also alleged a similar incident occurred when interviewing with the Denver Broncos in 2019. The Broncos would eventually decide to hire Vic Fangio for head coach shortly after.

The team organizations responded in separate statements on Tuesday.

“We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates. The fact of the matter is, Brian Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach.” — The New York Giants

“The implication that we acted in a manner inconsistent with the integrity of the game is incorrect.” — The Miami Dolphins

“Pages of detailed notes, analysis, and evaluations from our interview demonstrate the depth of our conversation and sincere interest in Mr. Flores as a head coaching candidate. Our process was thorough and fair to determine the most qualified candidate for our head coaching position.” — The Denver Broncos

Wigdor Law LLP, the firm representing Flores stated that the coach hopes to “shine a light on the racial injustices that take place inside the NFL.”

On September 1, 2016, American quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the 49ers’ final preseason game for the first time during the national anthem. Kaepernick cited his actions as a protest against racial injustices, police brutality, and systemic racism in a peaceful manner.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Kaepernick understood his actions would not sit right with a lot of people.

“I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.”

Taking a backseat on his personal goals for greater injustices, Colin Kaepernick took a knee.

But they refused to hear him, though.

They instead, took away his chances to ever play the game again.

Kaepernick’s activism has highlighted significant injustices in organizations such as the NFL. Though his initial support was slow to speak, his activism hasn’t gone unnoticed or untouched. In response to accusations of being blackballed in the NFL, Kaepernick filed a lawsuit in October 2017, alleging that league owners colluded to keep him out of the organization. In February 2019, it was announced that Kaepernick had reached a confidential settlement with the NFL.

Kaepernick remains a free agent to this day.

Such responses and efforts to eradicate the racial injustices underscored in the NFL have only returned verbal and dare I say, symbolic. Efforts to address such injustices and systemic oppression in the NFL have only seemed to truly show up from those disproportionately impacted; — progressing from players to coaches, peeling back the racist layers, but sharing the same conviction of sacrificing personal goals for greater chances at attaining equality.

Social critics question whether Brian Flores can prove systemic racism exists in the NFL. And if so, how should the NFL deal with the big Black problem?

I think the more important question is whether the NFL can continue to suggest that racial injustices in the NFL are a Black problem when it’s really giving more of a whole white problem?

Because it may have been possible when Colin Kaepernick took a knee.

But Brian Flores has jumped off the porch; — possibly to cause hell.

The kind of hell we like to call: Good trouble.

The end?

I think not.

QUINTESSA is a Freelance Writer & Journalist|#WEOC member & moderator| Blacktivist|Writer & Editor for Cultured, WEOC, The Case for the 1619 Project, and AfroSapiophile Publications.