The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially hired former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach. The news comes on the back of Flores accusing several NFL teams of racial discrimmination in their hiring practices.

To summarize, Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and some of its teams including the Miami Dolphins, New York Giants and Denver Broncos. The grounds of the lawsuit are that these teams are assumed to be racist in nature with their hiring practices. Each of the teams accused and the NFL itself have adamantly denied the allegations.

Flores had several interviews leading up to this hire with Pittsburgh. However, once the lawsuit had been filed, he became a polarizing figure that organizations seemed to want to stay away from. However, the Steelers are a different sort of organization. In fact, the rule that requires NFL teams to interview minorities for head coaching and management positions is named after the late Steeler owner and legend, Art Rooney. The Rooney Rule was established to combat racial profiling and make sure that all people are given a fair chance to lead an organization in the NFL. However, lately individuals like Flores believe that teams simply pander to the rule and do not take their minority candidates legitimately.

The Steelers have had three coaches over the last 50 years, which is quite an incredible feat. One of those coaches is the charismatic and tenured Mike Tomlin, who is currently the head coach of the Steelers. Entering the offseason following several coaching decisions by various teams, Tomlin was in fact the only remaining African American in the NFL who had a head coaching position. With Flores joining an organization like the Steelers, he will certainly have the respect of other coaches and players in the franchise. While Flores is certainly overqualified for this position, Steelers fans should be rejoicing over the hire.

According to NBC sports, Flores called Tomlin seeking counsel about his next steps following the lawsuit. The men spoke again on the following day where “the conversation turned into an opportunity” with the team. Bryant Gumbel of Real Sports had the opportunity to interview Flores where he said that it “all happened very fast.”

“I’m a very capable coach in this league,” Flores said. “But I do feel like he saw a situation where there was a very experienced coach who could help his staff, who was also a Black coach in the league. And I think that kind of speaks to what we’re talking about.”

 Flores comes from the Bill Belichick tree of coaching and has been a renowned defensive mind since his time in New England. Pittsburgh has struggled with its linebackers as of late and Flores’ expertise should help dramatically improve players like Devon Bush, who has struggled to get back into preinjury shape following the 2020 season. If things go well, Pittsburgh may even seek to make Flores the defensive coordinator in time. There is no doubt that Flores deserves to be the head coach of a franchise in the NFL. However, amidst the ongoing lawsuit, many teams wouldn’t give him a shot. Some believe that this hire will be a distraction to the team throughout the offseason and into the start of the 2022 season. The Steelers themselves have no doubt in their mind that they have hired a man who will contribute to the better of their team regardless of the circumstances surrounding him. 

“I am excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL,” Tomlin said in a press conference following the hire. “Brian’s resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team.”

Flores and his legal team will likely appear in court sometime in March for the first hearing in the trial. Following the outcome, Flores is prepared to join his new team as they look to compete against the likes of the Bengals, Ravens and Browns in the AFC North.