NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL can be put on trial over civil claims that Brian Flores and other Black coaches face discrimination, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday, rejecting the league's attempt to force Flores into arbitration with Commissioner Roger Goodell as the arbitrator.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld Judge Valerie Caproni’s ruling that Flores can proceed with claims against the league and three teams: the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants and the Houston Texans.
In a decision written by Circuit Judge Jose A. Cabranes, the appeals court said the NFL's arbitration rules forcing Flores to submit his claims to arbitration before Goodell do not have the protection of the Federal Arbitration Act because it “provides for arbitration in name only.”
The 2nd Circuit said the NFL constitution's arbitration provision “contractually provides for no independent arbitral forum, no bilateral dispute resolution, and no procedure.”
“Instead, it offends basic presumptions of our arbitration jurisprudence” by forcing claims to be decided by the NFL's “principal executive officer,” the appeals court said.
NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said: "We respectfully disagree with the panel’s ruling, and will be seeking further review.”
Douglas H. Wigdor and David E. Gottlieb, lawyers representing Flores, said in a statement that the NFL has relied on a biased and unfair arbitration process for too long.
“This ruling sends a clear message: that practice must end,” they said.
In February 2022, Flores sued the league and several teams, saying the league was “rife with racism,” particularly in its hiring and promotion of Black coaches.
Two other coaches later joined the lawsuit, which seeks to proceed as a class action, although Caproni ruled that their claims could go to arbitration based on the language in contracts they signed with teams.
After filing his lawsuit, Flores said he believed he was risking the coaching career he loves by suing the NFL, but he said it was worth it for generations to come if he could succeed in challenging systemic racism in the league.
Flores is currently the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings after working previously as a coach for the New England Patriots from 2008 to 2018, the Miami Dolphins from 2019 to 2021 and the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022. He joined the Vikings in 2023.
Caproni said in a March 2023 decision that descriptions by the coaches of their experiences of racial discrimination in a league with a “long history of systematic discrimination toward Black players, coaches, and managers — are incredibly troubling.”
“Although the clear majority of professional football players are Black, only a tiny percentage of coaches are Black,” she said.
FILE - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addresses the media at a press conference at the NFL football owners meeting, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn, File)
FILE - Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores stands on the field during an NFL football workout in Eagan, Minn., Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Torrential rains and flooding have killed more than 100 people in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and authorities warned Friday that more severe weather was expected across several countries in southern Africa.
South Africa has reported at least 19 deaths in two of its northern provinces following heavy rains that began last month and led to severe flooding.
Tourists and staff members were evacuated this week by helicopter from flooded camps to other areas in the renowned Kruger National Park, which is closed to visitors while parts of it are inaccessible because of washed out roads and bridges, South Africa's national parks agency said.
In neighboring Mozambique, the Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction said 103 people had died in an unusually severe rainy season since late last year. Those deaths were from various causes including electrocution from lightning strikes, drowning in floods, infrastructure collapse caused by the severe weather and cholera, the institute said.
The worst flooding in Mozambique has been in the central and southern regions, where more than 200,000 people have been affected, thousands of homes have been damaged, while tens of thousands face evacuation, the World Food Program said.
Zimbabwe’s disaster management agency said that 70 people have died and more than 1,000 homes have been destroyed in heavy rains since the beginning of the year, while infrastructure including schools, roads and bridges collapsed.
Flooding has also hit the island nation of Madagascar off the coast of Africa as well as Malawi and Zambia. Authorities in Madagascar said 11 people died in floods since late November.
The United States' Famine Early Warning System said flooding was reported or expected in at least seven southern African nations, possibly due to the presence of the La Nina weather phenomenon that can bring heavy rains to parts of southeastern Africa.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited flood-stricken areas in the northern Limpopo province on Thursday and said that region had received around 400 millimeters (more than 15 inches) of rain in less than a week. He said that in one district he visited “there are 36 houses that have just been wiped away from the face of the Earth. Everything is gone ... the roofs, the walls, the fences, everything.”
The flooding occurred in the Limpopo and Mpumalanaga provinces in the north, and the South African Weather Service issued a red-level 10 alert for parts of the country for Friday, warning of more heavy rain and flooding that poses a threat to lives and could cause widespread infrastructure damage.
The huge Kruger wildlife park, which covers some 22,000 square kilometers (7,722 square miles) across the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, has been impacted by severe flooding and around 600 tourists and staff members have been evacuated from camps to high-lying areas in the park, Kruger National Park spokesperson Reynold Thakhuli said.
He couldn't immediately say how many people there were in the park, which has been closed to visitors after several rivers burst their banks and flooded camps, restaurants and other areas. The parks agency said precautions were being taken and no deaths or injuries had been reported at Kruger.
The South African army sent helicopters to rescue other people trapped on the roofs of their houses or in trees in northern parts of the country, it said. An army helicopter also rescued border post officers and police officers stranded at a flooded checkpoint on the South Africa-Zimbabwe border.
Southern Africa has experienced a series of extreme weather events in recent years, including devastating cyclones and a scorching drought that caused a food crisis in parts of a region that often suffers food shortages.
The World Food Program said more than 70,000 hectares (about 173,000 acres) of crops in Mozambique, including staples such as rice and corn, have been waterlogged in the current flooding, worsening food insecurity for thousands of small-scale farmers who rely on their harvests for food.
Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa. AP writers Charles Mangwiro in Maputo, Mozambique, and Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe, contributed to this report.
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
This image made from video shows the scene after flooding in Tete Province, Mozambique, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo)
This image made from video shows the scene after flooding in Tete Province, Mozambique, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo)
This image made from video shows the scene after flooding in Tete Province, Mozambique, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo)
