Brian Flores -- 'Trust was lost' with Miami Dolphins after $100,000-per-loss tanking offer from owner

The day after announcing his lawsuit against the NFL, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos, Brian Flores elaborated on his allegations of racial discrimination and unethical practices.

Specifically pertaining to his time with the Dolphins, Flores, the team's former coach, said owner Stephen Ross explicitly offered him $100,000 for each loss the team suffered in 2019, in an attempt to strengthen the value of the Dolphins' draft pick.

Flores was hired by Miami before the 2019 season, taking over a team that was expected to be one of the worst in the NFL that season. But he said Ross made an extraordinary effort to ensure that would be the case.

«That was a conversation about not doing as much as we needed to do in order to win football games,» Flores said Wednesday in an interview with ESPN's Get Up!.. «Take a flight, go on vacation, I'll give you $100,000 per loss — those were his exact words. I deal in truth, I tell the players this, as well. I'm gonna give you good news, bad news — but it's going to be honest.»

«To disrespect the game like that, trust was lost and there were certainly some strained relationships and ultimately, I think that was my demise in Miami.»

The Dolphins fired Flores on Jan. 10 after three seasons with the team — including consecutive winning seasons in 2020 and 2021. Ross claimed the decision was made because of issues with the «collaboration» within the organization, but Flores alleges his firing stemmed from his refusal to tank in 2019.

Flores' lawyers said his experience was not unique and that other coaches have reached out to them with similar stories in regard to being incentivized to tank, as well as enduring discriminatory hiring practices.

In his 58-page lawsuit, Flores