On Thursday, the NFL expressed intent to file a motion to force Brian Flores’ racial discrimination lawsuit against the league and multiple teams into arbitration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flores’ lawsuit, filed on the first day of Black History Month this past February, has the potential to force the disclosure of the NFL’s dirty laundry, like Jon Gruden’s emails<\/a>, which they’ve hidden for so long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Exposure of these types of conversations is their worst fear, so they’re taking action to prevent it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flores’ legal team sees the move for what it is- an attempt to eliminate transparency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We have said from the start that if the NFL wants to create change, the first step is to allow for transparency,” said one of Flores’ attorneys, Douglas H. Wigdor, in a statement. “The NFL’s attempt to force these claims into arbitration demonstrates an unmistakable desire to avoid any public accountability and ensure that these claims are litigated behind closed doors in a forum stacked against our clients.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The clients Wigdor is referring to are Flores, former Cardinals’ head coach Steve Wilks and former Titans’ defensive coordinator Ray Horton, who both joined Flores’ federal lawsuit earlier this month<\/a>. They both added their own allegations of discrimination in the hiring and firing practices of both teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NFL fears that if the case proceeds to a jury trial, discovery could ensue. That means that relevant documents from both parties could be shared and, potentially, exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That could prove Flores’ case, and it could prove other things as well.<\/p>