Roger Goodell says Brian Flores' tanking claims 'will be reviewed thoroughly'

Hours after former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a racial discrimination lawsuit that included a claim that he was paid to lose by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, the NFL released a statement saying Flores' claims were "without merit." Four days later, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to teams that said the league wasn't going to be so quick to dismiss the accusations.

 "We also take seriously any issue relating to the integrity of NFL games," Goodell wrote near the end of his memo. "These matters will be reviewed thoroughly and independently. We expect that these independent experts will receive full cooperation from everyone associated with the league or any member club as this work proceeds." 

According to Flores, he was offered $100,000 per loss in his first season with the Dolphins. After losing the first seven games of the season, Miami finished with five wins in the last nine weeks to end the year with the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Flores claims that his refusal to lose more games caused a rift between him and Ross.

Goodell's memo said the NFL must acknowledge that its efforts to promote diversity in the coaching ranks have produced results that are "unacceptable." Currently, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is the only Black head coach in the NFL. Five NFL head coaching vacancies have been filled in the last month and all five hires were white coaches.