I’m fascinated by cutting-edge Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores. He’s terrorizing the NFL on the field while suing the league for racial discrimination off it. You have to be especially good at your job to work at a high NFL level while causing such legal consternation for multiple teams. Flores happens to be just that elite. The Vikings are the league’s best defense, while employing a unique approach of blitzes on nearly 80 percent of snaps. Flores has built his entire strategy around a tactic that’s more commonly deployed as a surprise. And it’s working. There should be a Moneyball style book about whatever’s going on with the 5-0 Vikings.
This week, Flores’ suit unsealed a Las Vegas Raiders memo prepared by recruiter Korn Ferry that his lawyers allege demonstrates said discrimination. It’s a profile of Flores as a potential hire that’s a bit reminiscent of the internal language that got Danny Ferry ousted as Atlanta Hawks GM. Here are relevant quotes from the memo, plus commentary from me, America’s most trusted source on fraught racial hiring matters.