John Elway calls Brian Flores' claims about Broncos interview 'just plain wrong'

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John Elway, the Denver Broncos’ president of football operations, dismissed the claims made by Brian Flores in his racial discrimination lawsuit against the team and the NFL on Thursday.

Elway said in a statement he wasn’t initially going to address Flores’ claims made in the lawsuit filed earlier this week, but he "could not be silent any longer with my character, integrity and professionalism being attacked."

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Flores said in the lawsuit that during his interview with the Broncos before Flores got the Miami Dolphins job, Elway showed up to the interview an hour late and appeared to be hungover. Flores claims he was interviewed for that job because of the Rooney Rule, which is an NFL policy that requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching positions. Flores believes he was never a real candidate for the job.

Head coach Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins hugs Matt Breida on the sidelines during their NFL game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 29, 2020, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Elway said Thursday he took Flores "very seriously as a candidate" and enjoyed the interview, which lasted more than three hours. He said he was "prepared, ready and fully engaged" during their talk.

"It’s unfortunate and shocking to learn for the first time this week that Brian felt differently about our interview with him," the former NFL quarterback added.

"For Brian to make an assumption about my appearance and state of mind early that morning was subjective, hurtful and just plain wrong. If I appeared ‘disheveled,’ as he claimed, it as because we