Sports
Is the NFL ready to give Brian Flores a second likelihood?

“-
Three weeks into the recent NFL season, there was a sense of rejuvenation and reinvention in Minnesota, with Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold becoming the epicenter of a great redemption story.
Darnold, on his fourth NFL team, enters the league’s fourth week ranked second in the league in passing yards, first in touchdown passes, fifth in yards per attempt and has just two interceptions in three games.
After three disappointing seasons with the New York Jets, Darnold was sent to the Carolina Panthers, and after a disappointing performance in Carolina, he was sent to the San Francisco 49ers as a backup.
While Darnold’s performance to date has been a revelation, the most impactful story in the NFL could also be on the other side of the ball in Minnesota, where defensive coordinator Brian Flores has shaped the Vikings into one among the most dominant defenses in the league.
Flores is the talk of the league ahead of Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers, together with praise for his unique — some might call it revolutionary — defensive style. Through the first three weeks of the season, the Vikings lead the NFL in sacks (11) and quarterback hits (19), and lead the league in quarterback pressures with 36. The Vikings are third in points allowed. After a 23-17 loss to the Vikings on September 15, the 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy I met Flores on the field and told him, “Your plan is crazy.”
However, there’s a difference between Darnold’s redemption story and Flores’ story, which may very well be called a vindication quest. While Darnold is doing something he has never done in his NFL profession, Flores is doing what everyone knew he could do, or quite what was expected of him. He is a cruel and no-nonsense defensive coordinator who made his mark early in the season.
The greater query looming over Flores is whether or not he’ll get a second likelihood to grow to be an NFL head coach.
Nick Cammett/Getty Images
Flores is just not your average coaching candidate. Not only was he already an NFL coach, but he also became involved with the league and had the courage to sue it over the long-standing issue of hiring African-American coaches.
In February 2022, Flores filed a class motion lawsuit against the NFL, alleging racial discrimination. His allegations included specific claims against the New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans, and he was later joined by two more former NFL coaches. Currently, most lawsuits are pending in NFL arbitration.
There was immediate speculation that Flores would receive the same treatment as former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was essentially barred by team owners from playing in the league again in 2016 after he protested by kneeling during the national anthem. However, there’s a significant difference. Kaepernick used his platform to bring attention to injustice outside the arena. Issues discussed included police violence and economic injustice.
Flores, on the other hand, was simply difficult the NFL team to keep its vow to ensure fair and equal treatment for African-Americans who aspired to be coaches.
No matter what the Vikings defense does this 12 months under Flores, his lawsuit is hanging over his head.
“I think common sense dictates that as long as the suit is available, it will be in people’s minds, if not at the forefront of their minds,” Rod Graves, executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, said in a telephone interview. on Wednesday. Since its founding in 2003, the Fritz Pollard Alliance has actively fought, especially to promote African Americans as coaches and front-office executives in the NFL.
Whether Flores gets one other head coaching job depends upon a referendum on how long the league chooses to hold a grudge – or whether it holds a grudge in any respect and easily commits to doing the right thing.
“Just the fact that he’s a coach in the National Football League is a positive sign that the league has made progress and is actually willing to do that,” Graves said.
Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 to 2021. After filing the lawsuit, Flores was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a senior defensive assistant. I talked to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin a few months ago and he said the hiring of Flores didn’t occur just because Flores had an exceptional defensive mind, but because he couldn’t stand by and watch Flores lose the ball.
“If I hadn’t hired this guy, man, would he be employable right now?” Tomlin said.

Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo, file
Flores interviewed with the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns before accepting a position with the Vikings in February 2023.
During his introductory press conference with the Vikings, Flores was asked about his lawsuit. Although he didn’t go into details, he said: “Of course, diversity can be necessary to me. I actually have no intention of running away from this. But after I walk into this constructing, there is really comprehensive diversity in every department. That’s exciting too. So these are things which are a work in progress. Of course, the lawsuit is pending, but I stand my ground. Right now my feet are here in Eden.
The topic got here up again this spring when Flores met with reporters in Minnesota. He was asked if he was involved in the recent rounds of coaching interviews that resulted in the hiring of 4 African-American coaches.
“I didn’t have and don’t really have any control over this situation,” he said. “I’ll say that I’m very joyful where I’m. It was a great off-season. It’s been a very long time since I spent a lot time with my family in the off-season without moving. It’s been a while, but to answer your query: no. But I’m in a great position, I’m very joyful and excited to work with our guys and coach my boys.
Did he think his lack of opportunity had something to do along with his lawsuit?
“There is no way to know,” he said. “It’s not something I spend a lot of time thinking about. I try to stay where my feet are, here with the Vikings. I try not to worry about the things that I can’t control and focus on the things that I can control or some of the things that I can control, like making plans for these players, for this team and doing the best I can, where I am.”
In so many words, Flores said he still wants to be a coach. “I just do the best I can where I’m. And wherever the chips fall, that is where they fall,” he said. “There are a lot of great coaches on this league. So I feel all I can do is prepare, do the right thing, give it my all, help the team as much as I can and I’ll let the odds fall where they fall.
In three seasons in Miami, Flores had two winning seasons and reported conflicts with the front office and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. We didn’t know the extent of the rift with Tagovailoa until August 19, when Tagovailoa made a statement about Flores on the podcast and went so far as to say Flores is a “terrible person.”
Tagovailoa issued a variety of complaints to Flores. The bottom line was that Flores was not as supportive and caring as he would have liked. Flores responded to Tagovailoa at his own press conference shortly after the podcast aired. He said he was joyful for Tagovailoa and wished him the best.
“Look, I’m human,” Flores told reporters. “So it hit me in a way that I would not say was positive for me. But at the same time, I actually have to take it and say, “Hey, how can I grow from this or how can I be better?” And from this perspective, that is where I’m at.
“Do I feel like this is me? NO. But how can I grow from this situation and create a world where that’s not the case when someone says that about Brian Flores?”
John Rivera/Sportswire icon
Perhaps Flores’ decision to go to Minnesota reflected an understanding that there was still room for growth, which he alluded to when referring to a Pittsburgh pastor who said, “you can either have control or you can have growth.” And you possibly can’t have each.”
In May, Flores participated in what the NFL calls its accelerator program. which allows potential coaching candidates to connect with former CEOs through a series of mock interviews. Graves was there and the feedback he received about Flores was impressive.
“He was outstanding. I mean, he was special in every way,” Graves said. “I feel what touched me most was how humble he was and the way honest he was about the lessons he had learned.
“When he crossed the threshold, there was no trace of anger or bitterness in him. He didn’t make me feel like I deserved anything or anything like that.”
Graves said they didn’t discuss Flores’ lawsuit. “He just wanted to come in and show that he was ready to lead and very capable of providing leadership as a head coach, and he did that,” Graves said.
Darnold and Flores have a good distance to go this NFL season. The quarterback is in search of profession redemption, the coach is in search of justice for himself and future Black coaches.
If Flores is given a second likelihood to coach in the NFL, his hiring can be truly significant and a milestone in the league’s conflicted relationship with hiring black coaches.
“That would be an indication that the league is in a different place,” Graves said. “If he can get back into the chair, I think we have to consider it a significant improvement. The question is whether this will get us to where we need to be for consistency remains to be seen.”
Darnold and Flores have a long season ahead of them and a very steep mountain to climb. But the league also has the burden of proof.
We often discuss the importance of second possibilities. In Flores’ case, a second likelihood would even be a key benchmark for the NFL.
Sports
Jalen Milroe can follow the Jalen path in NFL

Star Black playmakers aren’t any longer an exception – they’re the rule. Throughout the entire football season, this series will discover the importance and influence of black QB from bottom -up to NFL.
Indianapolis-keep me, should you heard it earlier: playmaker Alabama born in Texas, who’s a stronger runner than a passerby, will probably be called outside the first round of the NFL Draft.
The playmaker was undefeated in Sec as a primary -year starter.
The playmaker never played for the same offensive coordinator.
The name of the playmaker is even Jalen.
But it isn’t clear that Jalen hurts. This winter he was busy winning the Super Bowl MVP, and he didn’t play Iron Bowl or against Michigan.
Instead, it’s a former playmaker of Crimson Tide Jalen Milroewho last week Combine Combine tried to convey the case to the trainers and evaluators that he – like his namesake – is price being their playmaker franchise in the future despite questions on his ability.
“I went through adversity. I saw everything as a quarterback, “Milroe said on Friday. “I played at the most difficult conference in the country. It would be easier to play at other conferences, but what I could see in Sec catapulted me that I was ready to play NFL. “
Justin Casterline/Getty Images
Departing from Katy in Texas, she originally got involved in Texas in 2019, but a 12 months later she fell to Alabama. After he was sitting behind the Crimson Tide Starter Bryung for 2 seasons, Milroe took his reins in the 2023 season. He helped Alabama survive Sec (8-0) this 12 months, won by the conference rival and two-time defender Georgia in the SEC championship, which caused Crimson Tide to the play-off collection.
But while Milroe had a big arm (his 10 yards for the test took third place in Sec in 2023), the pass was not his strong suit. For two seasons as a starter Milroe never achieved 3000 yards in one season, the first starter of Alabama, who did it because it … hurts.
Hurts, from Houston, led Crimson Tide to the National National Championships in 2016–17, but during these two seasons were lower than 5,000 yards. While Hurts was a singular Rusher (1,809 yards and 21 sticks) at the moment, his weakness as a passerby is known for led to the spare Tua Tavailoa during the break of the national championships in 2017.
In the mix, Milroe decided that despite his pedestrian passes, he was still worthy of being a start at NFL.
He is aware of his weaknesses and swore that he worked in the ass to enhance outside being “one dimension.” He could move when his legendary trainer, Nick Saban, retired after the 2023 season, but decided to not fall off. He traveled six miles a day to ensure that that something was left in the fourth quarter in the fourth quarter. He studied progression and reads after I-SNAP to lift his IQ in football.
Unlike the forecast sorts of the first round, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, Milroe threw a mix on Saturday, hoping that he would show the bands that he has mechanics to do that to the playmaker NFL. It turned out to be a mixed bag. Milroe showed strong arm strength and a very good location of sail routes, curls and it while throwing exercises, but fought accuracy on intermediate and on the routes.
“That’s so many things that I can learn more where I am today and where I will be when it comes to day 1, starting with NFL,” said Milroe before Saturday exercises. “Always be a game student, at all times attempt to develop, because it would be so many opportunities in which I can look back and say that it was the moment after I grew up as a playmaker.
“That’s right now, I’m just trying to grow as much as possible, put my best foot forward and just look for development.”
Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images
Milroe was asked that he was one other playmaker in Alabama to succeed in the mix, following in the footsteps of the role (who moved to Oklahoma in 2019), Tavailoa, Mac Jones and Bryce Young. Milroe said he appreciates being in the company of others, but he added that it’s difficult to check him with others.
“We had different bands, we had different players around us, we had a different system,” he said.
But when he specifically asked what he could study the journey of Hurts-from the first manager of the game after the super Bowl-Milroe master said he inspired him his companion Alabam.
“The most important thing I learned from J. Hurts is how he kept his head (I) always continued to work,” said Milroe. “He at all times raised his game, he has never been self -deserved, and all the pieces you see is great progress from him.
“And I have to applaud him as a person, he as a man, because he is definitely inspiring for many playmakers of my image, as well as many playmakers throughout the country. He leads to all of us. “
The couple isn’t completely similar. Hurts had about 20 kilos on Milroe when he was in college. Milroe has a stronger arm, while Hurts played more and not using a mistake of football: Milroe threw 17 interceptions and ate 67 bags for 2 seasons as a starter in comparison with 10 captures Hurts and 43 bags.
But they can each be changing the game when their teams need them. In a highly publicized match against Georgia at the starting of the last season, Milroe finished almost 82% of his passes on 374 yards and two appointments, adding 117 yards to the ground for the next two results.
Milroe can also match the wounds in the so -called “Jalen-ISMS. “
“Climbing upstairs is not easy, but when you reach the top of this mountain, you will learn so many things when it comes to adversity when it comes to difficulties, things along the way,” said Milroe in a mix.
Sports
Like Tommie Smith and John Carlos from 1968. Black Power Salute inspired me to find my goal

I’d say that I grew up within the household to be sure that that me and my siblings were aware of the black history. My parents invested in the gathering of black encyclopedias. On the duvet we had a version of the Bible with Black Jesus. Our house was stuffed with books of black novelists and thinkers, and if a black document appeared, we watched it. I watched all movies made on television about Dr. King, each “Roots” and “Alex Haley’s Queen” and I sat for all 14 hours “Eyes on the reward”-as a toddler. Bless my heart.
Having said this, there have been pockets of black history, and more likely that I had no opportunity to delve into once I was a toddler. The college was where all the will for information and understanding of the combined. I attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., One of a very powerful historically black universities within the country. It was there that I met people from around the globe whose knowledge about black history differed (often depending on the colleges and the communities by which we lived), but everyone had hunger to learn more.
One day, through the first yr, I remember one among my friends in a T -shirt by which I had definitely seen before, but I never paid attention to. There was a black and white screen printing on the shirt (what I do know now) the enduring moment on the Olympic Games in Mexico in 1968, where on the rostrum for 200-meter medals, Tommie Smith, John Carlos (races 1. And 3. Place Finaners) Everyone gathered a black fist in gloves while he played “Star Spangled Banner”. Peter Norman, the second place from Australia, wore a human rights badge, like Smith and Carlos.
Not only did they raise the fist of black power (although they each said it was for human rights), they received medals in black socks to represent poverty within the black community, and Smith wore a black scarf for black pride. Carlos showed solidarity with blue-wheeled employees, unpacking the jacket and wore a necklace from the beads for individuals who were lynched. Due to the state of Black America in 1968 and a continuing struggle for equality and civil rights, there have been calls to a boycott of the Games. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was also killed in April this yr – and all three athletes were inspired enough to find a way to do it on the rostrum, which led to one of the crucial durable images of public protest.
I remember how I learned history and realized that on the most important scene these brave men used their moment of triumph and victory to quietly protest against the conditions of underrated communities in America. I felt strengthened; We often discuss standing on the arms of giants, however the more I got into the history of black in America, the more I spotted what number of giants there have been. In college I used to be very bad and for a while ready to burn every part that represented the establishment or any obstacle to black liberation. I felt like all those individuals who even saw their space on the planet in reference to individuals who could never give you the option to speak as heroes whose lives were to be modeled later. Especially since it was also fastidiously that putting people in front of him can often bring an enormous personal loss.
When Smith and Carlos took their position, they were booed on the stadium and ordered to be sent home by the International Olympic Committee. The athletes returned home, but they weren’t welcomed by the hero, but as a substitute of rough sleds, and even in some cases the specter of death. They were also not beloved by athletes. Two men, associated eternally in history, even have a good relationship –Carlos even claims that he let Smith go within the race Because “Tommie Smith would never put his fist in the sky if I won this race,” the claim that Smith denies.
History ultimately has a way of rights, but it surely took a few years and realizations on the front of social policy, in order that the actions of those persons are perceived as brave and needed, not only selfish and smug.
The lessons that I learned from College and continuous reading and education I gained (my head remained within the book about black history) were one among the best advantages in HBCU. The very variety of books I learned about about which I actually have never heard of – I actually have upheld me all my life.
That is why I remember sooner or later I used to be walking around Washington, the eastern Washington market and a street seller was selling different photos of moments in black history, and he had a 40 -inch photo within the Tommie Smith and John Carlos frame. I paid for it in money and spent it across the capital of the country until I returned home. I do know that it happened in 2005 (I finished Morehouse College in 2001) because I just moved to my first apartment with no roommate and it was the very first thing that I actually have ever suspended on the wall. This picture within the frame still hangs on the wall in my home in 2025 and I used it to teach my children about sacrifice and privilege and how you may have to discuss individuals who cannot.

The query that my youngest children often ask: “How do I know who can’t speak for herself?” Which is an incredible query. For this I answered an easy fact, pointing to the photo:
“These men have made a gesture that gave people whose most of us, including them, would never see or never know them, but on which life negatively affects the alternatives of the wealthy and the federal government. Sometimes you may have to take this chance to say something because you do not know in the event you’ll ever have such a big platform.
Son, there may be at all times someone who cannot speak for himself, and you may have to use it in a voice, because perhaps the thing you say or a stand that can help someone you understand, live a greater life. ”
I take advantage of words that may understand a little bit higher, but I can inform you that my children have a look at this photo on a regular basis, and once one among my sons said: “These guys are heroes, right?”
I say yes, they’re. They are the heroes of the Black History.
They will live eternally for speaking, and even quietly, in solidarity with those that couldn’t.

(Tagstranslate) @Ap
Sports
Main Treasury Official Morgan State University, Sterling Steward, died

Morgan State University announced that his older associate athletics director and tax director, Sterling Steward, died.
No reason for death was disclosed, but the college has confirmed his contribution since he was employed in December 2022.
Morgan State University Athletics mourns Sterling Steward’s departure https://t.co/avjzilxhja
– Grizzly Life (@grizzlylife22) February 26, 2025
Steward died on February 26. In Morgan State he was accountable for the event of university programs, supporting partnerships and strengthening the financial and operational success of the Faculty.
“Sterling was more than a colleague-he was a respected leader, mentor and friend,” said in a written statement by Den Freeman-Patton, vice chairman and director of inter-university athletes. “His passion for athletics and commitment to raising Morgan programs were visible in everything he did. He worked tirelessly to ensure that our sports students had resources and the possibilities of distinction, and its impact will be felt for many years. We expand our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, especially his three sons and sister when we mourn this huge loss. “
While the steward worked in Morgan, strategic growth and cooperation occurred. His work with the institutional development department helped to offer more opportunities and created lasting relationships to support sports programs.
Steward earlier he worked At the University of New Orleans (UNO) as an assistant to the college athletics director for strategic income generation. He also made stays on the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Savannah State University, Mississippi Valley State University, Alabama State University, Kentucky State University, Eastern Oregon University and Xavier University in various roles, including for a senior consultant athletics director and sports director.
He was from New Orleans, who received the title of bachelor and master’s degree on the University of Southern Mississippi. He won a bachelor’s degree in the sphere of coaching and administration/history of sport and his master’s degree in the sphere of sport management.
(Tagstransate) Morgan State Universiry
-
Press Release11 months ago
CEO of 360WiSE Launches Mentorship Program in Overtown Miami FL
-
Press Release11 months ago
U.S.-Africa Chamber of Commerce Appoints Robert Alexander of 360WiseMedia as Board Director
-
Business and Finance9 months ago
The Importance of Owning Your Distribution Media Platform
-
Business and Finance11 months ago
360Wise Media and McDonald’s NY Tri-State Owner Operators Celebrate Success of “Faces of Black History” Campaign with Over 2 Million Event Visits
-
Ben Crump11 months ago
Another lawsuit accuses Google of bias against Black minority employees
-
Theater11 months ago
Telling the story of the Apollo Theater
-
Ben Crump12 months ago
Henrietta Lacks’ family members reach an agreement after her cells undergo advanced medical tests
-
Ben Crump12 months ago
The families of George Floyd and Daunte Wright hold an emotional press conference in Minneapolis
-
Theater11 months ago
Applications open for the 2020-2021 Soul Producing National Black Theater residency – Black Theater Matters
-
Theater9 months ago
Cultural icon Apollo Theater sets new goals on the occasion of its 85th anniversary