When fired by the Miami Dolphins last month, coach Brian Flores refused to sign a separation agreement presented by team owner Stephen Ross, Flores told Bryant Gumbel of “ Real Sports » the HBO.
“Just signing that separation agreement would have really shut me up,” Flores said in an episode that aired Tuesday night.
By not signing the separation agreement, Flores left millions of dollars on the table, said John Elefterakis, one of Flores’ attorneys. But not signing also gave him the freedom to talk about his treatment in Miami.
Attorney Doug Wigdor said it was not a question of money, otherwise he would have signed the proposal, adding that it was a two-year non-denigration contract. “If it was money, he would have signed it.” What he has done instead is take legal action to help other coaches, now and in the future. »
Wigdor added: “If a coach is fired with a few years or one year remaining on their contract, they will not be paid unless they sign a waiver, to ensure confidentiality and non-disparagement. So they buy their silence. »
The Dolphins responded to Flores’ comments on Tuesday night, calling them “categorically untrue.”
Flores’ attorneys disputed the Dolphins’ claim and provided screenshots of the draft agreement and notice of termination of payment. One of the provisions specifically detailed a non-disparagement clause. Because Flores did not sign the Severance and Release Agreement from the team, he was given notice of termination of payment by Brandon Shore, senior vice president of football and business administration. The memo stated that Flores would not be entitled to receive ongoing payments of all unaccumulated benefits and allowances because he had not signed the agreement.
With the ability to speak freely about his time with the Dolphins, Flores, who was recently hired as a defensive assistant by the Pittsburgh Steelers, filed a lawsuit against the NFL and three teams (the Dolphins, Giants and Broncos ), alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices and his firing by Miami.
Among other allegations, Flores said he was offered $100,000 for every loss by Ross in 2019 and that they had evidence and would be willing to share with the NFL in their investigation of Ross.
In response to the #Dolphins calling Brian Flores’ assertion of an NDA “categorically false,” below are screenshots from the draft agreement & payment termination notice.
If #BrianFlores had signed this, he would have been gagged and unable to talk about his experience.#NFL pic.twitter.com/rlEgTXsd4I
– WigdorLaw (@WigdorLaw) February 23, 2022
