Brian Flores, Who Is Suing NFL Over Lack Of Opportunities For Minority Coaches, Turned Down Interview For Cardinals Head Coach Job

The Minnesota Vikings hired Brian Flores as their defensive coordinator, despite Flores suing the NFL over racial discrimination.

Flores' lawsuit stems from his time as Miami Dolphins head coach, where he alleges owner Stephen Ross asked him to tank. He also named the New York Giants, who he alleges only interviewed him to satisfy the Rooney Rule, with no intention of making him their new head coach.

Flores alleged racial discrimination against minority head coaches in the NFL. He says they don't get enough opportunity to be head coaches.

Former head coach Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins on the field prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Flores declined to move forward in the Arizona Cardinals head coaching search. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

But Flores says he declined to move forward in the Arizona Cardinals head coach search. The Cardinals hired Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon on Tuesday.

"There was still an opportunity with Arizona,” Flores said during his introductory press conference with the Vikings. "You almost get a gut feeling. I think we’ve all kind of had those, that this was the place for me and my family. This was the right opportunity.

“It’s funny, I was in church a couple weeks ago as this was all going on. And the pastor in Pittsburgh, he said, ‘In life there’s instances where you can either have control or you can have growth and you can’t have both.’ That kind of hit me pretty good. I just felt like this was a great opportunity for growth.”

So Brian Flores, who believes minority coaches don't get enough head coaching opportunities, declined to move forward in a head coaching search. Instead, he accepted a position as a defensive coordinator.

Former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores spent last season as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and is currently the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Certainly, Flores has the right to take any opportunity he wants. Clearly, he viewed the Vikings opportunity as better for his career than going to Arizona. That makes sense -- the Cardinals have a struggling, injured quarterback that they're paying a ton of money to. They finished 4-13 last season.

The Vikings, on the other hand, won the NFC North but were bounced from the playoffs thanks to their lackluster defense. If Flores can turn that unit around, he stands to reap the rewards of perhaps better opportunities down the line.

But that's the point, isn't it? Flores had an opportunity to potentially become a head coach again, but elected to take -- in his mind -- a better job.

That doesn't sound like a guy who's hurting for opportunities because of his skin color.