For Steelers assistant Teryl Austin, a long and mysterious wait

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Teryl Austin has been where Brian Flores is many times. Eleven to be exact, but who's counting?

Well, Austin is.

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It's hard not to when you walk into the office of an NFL general manager in hopes of landing the head coaching job you've always wanted — a job you believe you're qualified for — on nearly a dozen occasions, only to eventually get the dreaded "thanks but no thanks" phone call. Every single time.

"It's a lot," the Pittsburgh Steelers senior defensive assistant coach told The Associated Press in October.

At least Flores, who filed a lawsuit against the NFL over alleged racist hiring practices on Tuesday, has had a turn at the wheel. He spent three seasons in Miami, managing two winning records, before getting fired in January for what team owner Stephen Ross described as a lack of synergy between Flores and the front office.

The 54-year-old Austin has been a defensive assistant on three teams that reached the Super Bowl — earning a ring with Baltimore after the 2012 season. He worked as defensive coordinator for two others, a number that could tick up to three if he is tabbed to replace Keith Butler, who stepped down from the position in Pittsburgh last month.

Still, 0 for 11. It's a number difficult for Austin to get his head around.

"It always leaves you wondering what happened, why you didn’t get it," he said. "You can’t say for sure (if race was a factor). ... Maybe I’m not what the owners see when they look in the mirror and they see leadership positions."

Austin landed in the NFL in 2003, the same year "The Rooney Rule" was adopted by the league in an attempt to promote