Brian Flores is taking a stand against racism at the highest levels of the NFL, and Rodney Harrison is standing with him.
Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL, New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins on Feb. 1 alleging racial discrimination in his pursuit of a head coach job. Flores' suit -- which cites texts from New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick -- alleges the Giants and Broncos conducted "sham interviews" with him to satisfy the NFL's Rooney Rule and also accuses Dolphins owner Stephen Ross of attempting to bribe Flores with payments to lose games on purpose as Miami's head coach.
In a 1-on-1 with our Tom E. Curran on a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast, former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison got right to the point while discussing why Flores' lawsuit is necessary to fight back against racism in the NFL.
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"It hurts my heart that I even have to sit down in 2022 and talk about something like this," Harrison told Curran. "The fact that these owners don't deem us as equal. That's all it comes down to. They look at us and say, 'Well, this Black man, he's not capable of doing the same job as this White man. We just don't get the same opportunities, and it's frustrating.
"Whether it's media, whether it's football, in all walks of life in corporate America, we just don't game the same opportunities, and it's hurtful. It's disappointing."
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The NFL and all three teams named in the lawsuit have pushed back against Flores' allegations. But Harrison, whose last season with the Patriots came when Flores joined New England as a special teams assistant in 2008, fully believes his former colleague.
"You can't tell me Brian Flores is lying about that. You can't tell me Brian Flores is lying about the incentives, being paid $100,000 (to lose games in Miami)," Harrison said. "This man has no reason to sit here and lie about that. He's getting paid millions and millions and millions of dollars sitting at home.
"He just got to a point -- and you know what? He put his life and his career on the line for the next generation and (future) generations to have opportunities, and that's what we have to do. We have to understand it's not all about us. Sometimes we have to sacrifice for the greater cause."
With every NFL head coach vacancy now filled, Flores officially lost his chance to be a head coach this season. While Harrison wondered if the Patriots would bring Flores back as an assistant coach, it's possible he may never coach in the NFL again pending the results of his lawsuit.
That possibility clearly upset Harrison, but he also admires Flores for sticking to his principles.
"He's a football coach, man. He's not gonna sell his soul for $100,000 a game," Harrison said of Flores. "For Black people, it's bigger than that. You've got to understand, we're trying move the next generation. How can we have this league and we don't have one Black owner?"
Harrison also urged the NFL to spearhead an effort to find a Black ownership group for the Denver Broncos, who are currently up for sale.
To hear more of Harrison's conversation with Curran on Flores -- as well as his take on the Patriots' defensive shortcomings, Mac Jones' development and Tom Brady's retirement -- subscribe to the Patriots Talk Podcast or watch the full episode on YouTube below.